YOU GUYS!
So I know it's been a while since my last blog. Apologies. But you'll NEVER believe what happened to me. See, right after I finished my last blog, I was attacked. By ninjas. See, they'd heard about my mad ninja skills, and they whisked me away to their super secret ninja cave hideout tower place thingy and forced me to teach them my ways. Of course, I could have escaped, but I felt so bad for them (they couldn't even go grocery shopping without being seen), so I chose to stay on and help out. I also helped them out with their taxes, which were a MESS. (Even ninjas have to pay taxes.) By the time I got home, my apartment was infested with nargles (shout-out to all the HP fans out there!!!) and my pet alligator had run away. I don't blame her. Nargles are not the best roommates. They never do the dishes or change the toilet paper roll. ANYWAY. By the time I found Eugene (the alligator), she had laid a nest of alligator eggs. They hatched soon after I arrived, and I had to travel around the country and find homes for all the baby gators. (The ninjas have a cuddly new pet!) You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to find homes for lil alligators, even when you dress them up in cute outfits. I mean, come on, who wouldn't want a little sailor alligator? Really?
So anyway, I finally got rid of the nargles, Eugene is back in her tub, and now I have a huge mess to clean up.
Seriously.
I told you you wouldn't believe it.
(In completely unrelated news, did I mention I'm on high doses of cold medicine?)
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Letting it all hang out
I've made a decision recently. I need to do some things differently in my life, and one of those things is to figure out ways to save time. Somehow time always seems to get away from me. I'm not sure how. I know it has nothing to do with getting sucked into addictive websites or watching seasons of shows on Netflix. I'm totally in control of that time. But for some reason, my apartment isn't getting cleaned, I'm always up so late that I have a hard time getting up in the morning, and my novel and blog are being neglected. I think I'm going to start with small changes. The first thing to go? Showering. That's right. In the olden days, they didn't shower that often, and they all turned out fine! I'm cutting down to once a week. Plus, it's totally green, because it saves water. I'm also going to stop shaving. Because, really, who needs the hassle? I mean, seriously, what do I care if I have hairy legs? And I shouldn't care if it bothers other people. I gotta be free to be me and all that jazz. Plus, once the hair grows long enough, it will get soft and silky, and maybe I can braid it. I'll start a new style! Awesome. I can't wait. Maybe I'll post pictures.
Ummm.
April Fools?
I apologize, that was really dumb. In reality, I really hate this day. Every year I want to call in sick to work and hibernate for all of April 1st. You think I'm paranoid on a day to day basis? (You don't? Oh...well...of course I'm not...) I am the jumpiest and most skeptical person you will run into on April 1st. Everything anyone tells me, I'm like, "Are you for real? Stop trying to trick me!" Today my principal asked me to come into her office and I refused because I was sure it was a joke. I turned off my light and hid under my desk until the knocking stopped. (Okay, not really, but it might have happened that way.) I fully plan to check my car from bumper to bumper when I head over to Katie's house.
I also feel like people use April Fools as an excuse to be cruel. There are lots of pranks that are just plain mean. A kid today called another kid "fatface" and then said it was an April Fool's joke. (I never know if it's April Fool's or April Fools. Punctuation Nazis, help me out here!) Other kids were telling someone their mom was here over and over, so the kid would go check and get in trouble for popping into the office constantly. Again, not funny.
That's not to say that I can't enjoy a good prank. As long as it's funny, and not hurtful. I am a really funny person, in case you didn't notice. In college, my freshman year especially, my friend Nik and I had lots of fun playing "pranks," if you can call them all that. As a floor, we painted a mural of Van Gogh's "A Starry Night." Nik and I printed cow pictures, colored them bright colors, and taped them jumping over the hills. The PA kept taking them down, and it took her a while to figure out who kept replacing them. Nik also had a ceramic squirrel (I don't know why) that was surprisingly lifelike, and we took great pleasure in leaving it random places...especially the shower. Nothing better than hearing someone shriek that a squirrel got into the bathroom. We also enjoyed sending things through campus mail. Sometimes nice things, like tiny playdohs, other times we found wrappers and pages of old papers and loved to comment, "Oh, don't you just hate junk mail?" when the poor unsuspecting friend opened the envelope and it all spilled out. One of my favorites was when we used packing tape to tape entirely over someone's door. We sat in the lounge of the dorm until he came back, just shaking his head. The best part was that he actually really enjoyed it, and stuck things to the other side as decoration. The worst part was that I'm pretty sure it took the paint off the doorjamb. But Nik and I got out of there before it was time for the cleanup ;)
I'm not sure why I hate this "holiday" so much, since clearly I enjoy having fun at the expense of others. But I do. Maybe I'm just waiting for payback...that's definitely a reason to be paranoid...
Ummm.
April Fools?
I apologize, that was really dumb. In reality, I really hate this day. Every year I want to call in sick to work and hibernate for all of April 1st. You think I'm paranoid on a day to day basis? (You don't? Oh...well...of course I'm not...) I am the jumpiest and most skeptical person you will run into on April 1st. Everything anyone tells me, I'm like, "Are you for real? Stop trying to trick me!" Today my principal asked me to come into her office and I refused because I was sure it was a joke. I turned off my light and hid under my desk until the knocking stopped. (Okay, not really, but it might have happened that way.) I fully plan to check my car from bumper to bumper when I head over to Katie's house.
I also feel like people use April Fools as an excuse to be cruel. There are lots of pranks that are just plain mean. A kid today called another kid "fatface" and then said it was an April Fool's joke. (I never know if it's April Fool's or April Fools. Punctuation Nazis, help me out here!) Other kids were telling someone their mom was here over and over, so the kid would go check and get in trouble for popping into the office constantly. Again, not funny.
That's not to say that I can't enjoy a good prank. As long as it's funny, and not hurtful. I am a really funny person, in case you didn't notice. In college, my freshman year especially, my friend Nik and I had lots of fun playing "pranks," if you can call them all that. As a floor, we painted a mural of Van Gogh's "A Starry Night." Nik and I printed cow pictures, colored them bright colors, and taped them jumping over the hills. The PA kept taking them down, and it took her a while to figure out who kept replacing them. Nik also had a ceramic squirrel (I don't know why) that was surprisingly lifelike, and we took great pleasure in leaving it random places...especially the shower. Nothing better than hearing someone shriek that a squirrel got into the bathroom. We also enjoyed sending things through campus mail. Sometimes nice things, like tiny playdohs, other times we found wrappers and pages of old papers and loved to comment, "Oh, don't you just hate junk mail?" when the poor unsuspecting friend opened the envelope and it all spilled out. One of my favorites was when we used packing tape to tape entirely over someone's door. We sat in the lounge of the dorm until he came back, just shaking his head. The best part was that he actually really enjoyed it, and stuck things to the other side as decoration. The worst part was that I'm pretty sure it took the paint off the doorjamb. But Nik and I got out of there before it was time for the cleanup ;)
I'm not sure why I hate this "holiday" so much, since clearly I enjoy having fun at the expense of others. But I do. Maybe I'm just waiting for payback...that's definitely a reason to be paranoid...
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Life continues
So once again, I must apologize for my absence from the blogosphere. I know you have all been waiting, desperately longing for just a few wise words from my fingers. Strangely, I just haven't been in the mood to write lately. Of course, that means my novel isn't getting any attention either, so you're not alone ;)
So what fun things have happened? I had a roommate for two weeks. My dear friend Angie went from New Zealand to Australia to Iowa...which is, of course, the natural progression of travel. No one should ever leave Iowa off their world travel itinerary. I had the absolute best time with Angie. We haven't spent that amount of time together since college. Of course, I had to work, but she was waiting for me when I got home every day. Kind of like my lil wife. ;) Just kidding, we have a totally equal relationship. It was super fun to show Angie some of the things I love about my city. It was very sad to see her go though. I forget how nice it is to have someone around to talk to all the time. I mean, someone real.
Spring break has come and gone. My family and I headed south to Heifer International Ranch in Arkansas. Seriously an awesome organization. Check them out at heifer.org. My grandparents have volunteered at their educational ranch for over 15 years or something like that. We try and visit them down there every year, and it's always an amazing time. Much better now that I'm not in school and my mom doesn't stand over me and force me to work on homework. I got to road trip down with my parents. You guys, my parents are the best. For real. You wonder why I am the way I am? Just spend a day with my parents. You'll understand. For example, at one point my dad proclaimed that his colon was like, "YEEEEAAHH!!!" Then, as we passed an exit, my mom started giggling. "Hey, isn't that the Sonic where Rena fell down?" she asked, pointing before collapsing into more giggles. It was the Sonic where I fell down. Years ago. But my family never forgets.
At the Ranch we enjoyed the antics of the four Littles, who Maddy dubbed "The 4 Wild Poodles." She's kind of a city girl. We enjoyed lots of hikes around the Ranch, playing with the animals, including feeding the baby goats, a trip to Little Rock, a daffodil festival, and other fun. Time has a way of slowing down at the Ranch. It's been described as a "pocket of serenity." I could totally see that.
But, as always, life continues. Back in the reality of crazy work, I am missing the Ranch, and missing my dear friend. But I have lots of memories. And that makes me smile. For pictures, check out Facebook. I took a few...
So what fun things have happened? I had a roommate for two weeks. My dear friend Angie went from New Zealand to Australia to Iowa...which is, of course, the natural progression of travel. No one should ever leave Iowa off their world travel itinerary. I had the absolute best time with Angie. We haven't spent that amount of time together since college. Of course, I had to work, but she was waiting for me when I got home every day. Kind of like my lil wife. ;) Just kidding, we have a totally equal relationship. It was super fun to show Angie some of the things I love about my city. It was very sad to see her go though. I forget how nice it is to have someone around to talk to all the time. I mean, someone real.
Spring break has come and gone. My family and I headed south to Heifer International Ranch in Arkansas. Seriously an awesome organization. Check them out at heifer.org. My grandparents have volunteered at their educational ranch for over 15 years or something like that. We try and visit them down there every year, and it's always an amazing time. Much better now that I'm not in school and my mom doesn't stand over me and force me to work on homework. I got to road trip down with my parents. You guys, my parents are the best. For real. You wonder why I am the way I am? Just spend a day with my parents. You'll understand. For example, at one point my dad proclaimed that his colon was like, "YEEEEAAHH!!!" Then, as we passed an exit, my mom started giggling. "Hey, isn't that the Sonic where Rena fell down?" she asked, pointing before collapsing into more giggles. It was the Sonic where I fell down. Years ago. But my family never forgets.
At the Ranch we enjoyed the antics of the four Littles, who Maddy dubbed "The 4 Wild Poodles." She's kind of a city girl. We enjoyed lots of hikes around the Ranch, playing with the animals, including feeding the baby goats, a trip to Little Rock, a daffodil festival, and other fun. Time has a way of slowing down at the Ranch. It's been described as a "pocket of serenity." I could totally see that.
But, as always, life continues. Back in the reality of crazy work, I am missing the Ranch, and missing my dear friend. But I have lots of memories. And that makes me smile. For pictures, check out Facebook. I took a few...
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
It's a wonderful life
I have been told recently that it's high time for me to blog again. I was sooo tempted to just leave it at that sentence and call it happy. But I'm nicer than that. Truth is, and this might be shocking to you, my life is just not that interesting. Sure, my brain is an undiscovered treasure trove of wonderfulness, but most people aren't ready to experience it. So I get stuck. I'm not sure how. I just do.
I have been rolling a lot of topics around in my brain lately. One thing I have been meaning to talk about is text etiquette, or textiquette. I had this elaborate post in mind, where I demonstrated how it would be if we talked to people in real life like we do in text, especially when you're in the middle of a conversation and someone just quits texting, like just walking away from a conversation in the middle of it. One of my pet peeves. It was hilarious. Trust me. (Or not so much...)
But really, that entry would have been more complainy than I am feeling. Because life is good right now. I mean, REALLY good. I love my job, even though there are days when I wonder why the heck I got into this profession. I have some amazing friends, and I'm making more of an effort to rid myself of my hermit ways and go out into the real world sometimes. My family totally rocks. They came down for my birthday, which was totally cool. Plus, my parents got me guitar lessons!
I had my first guitar lesson last night. I really like the place. They're all so friendly. I felt kinda dumb because I've had my guitar for so long, and forgot pretty much everything I learned when I first got it. Even how to tune! Plus I forgot all my music theory because I was nervous and out of my comfort zone. But it will be good. I am determined to get my fingers nice and calloused by next week, and have wicked good chord changes. The main problem is that my hand doesn't like to bend how it's supposed to, and my pinky is too short! I have baby pinkies. The rest of my fingers became adults, but not my pinkies. It's weird. I'm deformed.
My addiction to reading has become slightly problematic. I've already read 13 or so books this year, and people keep telling me about more books I need to read, plus I keep getting coupons for specials on books. Yesterday I got home and had two boxes of books waiting for me. Yeah...it's a problem...but I LOVE it.
So many things to look forward to! This weekend I get to go see some of my favorite people in the world up in the Twin Cities. In three weeks I am leaving for Arkansas to spend a week at Heifer International Ranch with my family and my grandparents. I'm hoping to work on my book more, though my reading addiction has slowed me down on that. And something super exciting is happening TODAY but I can't tell anyone because it's a SECRET.
So life is good. I have been feeling great since turning 27. I think it's going to be one of the best years yet. Looking forward to what is coming!
(There, Nik, I blogged! Happy???)
I have been rolling a lot of topics around in my brain lately. One thing I have been meaning to talk about is text etiquette, or textiquette. I had this elaborate post in mind, where I demonstrated how it would be if we talked to people in real life like we do in text, especially when you're in the middle of a conversation and someone just quits texting, like just walking away from a conversation in the middle of it. One of my pet peeves. It was hilarious. Trust me. (Or not so much...)
But really, that entry would have been more complainy than I am feeling. Because life is good right now. I mean, REALLY good. I love my job, even though there are days when I wonder why the heck I got into this profession. I have some amazing friends, and I'm making more of an effort to rid myself of my hermit ways and go out into the real world sometimes. My family totally rocks. They came down for my birthday, which was totally cool. Plus, my parents got me guitar lessons!
I had my first guitar lesson last night. I really like the place. They're all so friendly. I felt kinda dumb because I've had my guitar for so long, and forgot pretty much everything I learned when I first got it. Even how to tune! Plus I forgot all my music theory because I was nervous and out of my comfort zone. But it will be good. I am determined to get my fingers nice and calloused by next week, and have wicked good chord changes. The main problem is that my hand doesn't like to bend how it's supposed to, and my pinky is too short! I have baby pinkies. The rest of my fingers became adults, but not my pinkies. It's weird. I'm deformed.
My addiction to reading has become slightly problematic. I've already read 13 or so books this year, and people keep telling me about more books I need to read, plus I keep getting coupons for specials on books. Yesterday I got home and had two boxes of books waiting for me. Yeah...it's a problem...but I LOVE it.
So many things to look forward to! This weekend I get to go see some of my favorite people in the world up in the Twin Cities. In three weeks I am leaving for Arkansas to spend a week at Heifer International Ranch with my family and my grandparents. I'm hoping to work on my book more, though my reading addiction has slowed me down on that. And something super exciting is happening TODAY but I can't tell anyone because it's a SECRET.
So life is good. I have been feeling great since turning 27. I think it's going to be one of the best years yet. Looking forward to what is coming!
(There, Nik, I blogged! Happy???)
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Sleep = Happiness
Last week was a vacation week, and honestly, I spent most of the week sleeping. To be fair (to myself), I got sick Monday afternoon and was feeling the effects for several days. That's my excuse. Seriously though, I would sleep anywhere from ten to twelve hours, be awake for maybe twelve hours, and fall back into for another 10-12 hours. It. Was. Awesome. Don't worry, my mom made sure I was fully productive the first half of vacation, so I felt little guilt over my Sleeping Beauty routine.
So I didn't just blog because I wanted to tell everyone how lazy I was last week, though I'm not ashamed of it. I am more refreshed than I have been in...well...I honestly don't know the last time I was this refreshed! Usually when I take vacations it's to go somewhere. The last vacation I took was Thanksgiving, but was only three days off work, and I traveled to Minnesota, and the one before that was my cruise last January. If anyone has been on a cruise, you know that there is way too much to do to spend much time getting refreshed (though the beach day was pretty awesome). I need to take a week off and shut myself in my apartment at least once a month. ;)
I keep getting off track. The real reason I wanted to blog today was because in all my sleep last week, I didn't have a single really interesting dream, and that made me sad. If you've been in my crazy world for very long, you know that I have some of the strangest dreams ever, and I love them. I very rarely have nightmares, and usually my dreams are so ridiculous that I just wake up and smile when I think about them. I don't know if my lack of dreaming was because I was sick, but I didn't like it. Dreams make the night seem longer, I think, rather than going to sleep and waking up as if no time has passed at all. And I'm a big fan of making sure my night is stretched out (except last night I really couldn't sleep and that was annoying). That's why I set my alarm for much earlier than I have to get up...I love that feeling of looking at the clock and realizing I have more time to sleep. Even when I get to sleep in on weekends and don't have to get up, I like to lay in bed for a while after I'm awake and just enjoy the feeling. It's lovely.
ANYWAY. I had some very random dreams last night that were too complicated to turn in to a facebook status. The funny part was that for one of them I was aware I was dreaming, and was trying to figure out how to explain the dream. As much as I love my dreams, this had to be the most tedious, boring dream ever. Seriously. Want to know what I was doing? Of course you do. You don't have a choice. Well, yes you do. You could quit reading. Go on. Get out of here. Still reading? Good. You must really like me ;) In my dream I had apparently broken my leg/ankle. It was the same one I broke in college, and I had to wear this combination of the moon boot I wore for that break and the giant knee brace I wore in middle school to try to correct my "floating kneecap." It was a big complication of loops and buckles, and I was trying to wear my snow boots. So I put the boots on, then the brace. Then I took them off because it wasn't right, and put it back on. Then my boot suddenly was off, so I had to do it again. And on it went. I kept putting it on and taking it off. And my family was waiting for me at Olive Garden but it took me like an hour and a half to figure it out. That was my dream. Totally lame. And now I've wasted your time telling you, just like I wasted my dream space by having that dream.
I also had a dream that I was making EZ Mac with my sister, but I added cheddar cheese and not the cheese packets. And then I was on a bus with a bunch of people I went to middle school with. Totally random. And those are the ones I like.
I have no good way to end this. It's Wednesday and that's happy.
So I didn't just blog because I wanted to tell everyone how lazy I was last week, though I'm not ashamed of it. I am more refreshed than I have been in...well...I honestly don't know the last time I was this refreshed! Usually when I take vacations it's to go somewhere. The last vacation I took was Thanksgiving, but was only three days off work, and I traveled to Minnesota, and the one before that was my cruise last January. If anyone has been on a cruise, you know that there is way too much to do to spend much time getting refreshed (though the beach day was pretty awesome). I need to take a week off and shut myself in my apartment at least once a month. ;)
I keep getting off track. The real reason I wanted to blog today was because in all my sleep last week, I didn't have a single really interesting dream, and that made me sad. If you've been in my crazy world for very long, you know that I have some of the strangest dreams ever, and I love them. I very rarely have nightmares, and usually my dreams are so ridiculous that I just wake up and smile when I think about them. I don't know if my lack of dreaming was because I was sick, but I didn't like it. Dreams make the night seem longer, I think, rather than going to sleep and waking up as if no time has passed at all. And I'm a big fan of making sure my night is stretched out (except last night I really couldn't sleep and that was annoying). That's why I set my alarm for much earlier than I have to get up...I love that feeling of looking at the clock and realizing I have more time to sleep. Even when I get to sleep in on weekends and don't have to get up, I like to lay in bed for a while after I'm awake and just enjoy the feeling. It's lovely.
ANYWAY. I had some very random dreams last night that were too complicated to turn in to a facebook status. The funny part was that for one of them I was aware I was dreaming, and was trying to figure out how to explain the dream. As much as I love my dreams, this had to be the most tedious, boring dream ever. Seriously. Want to know what I was doing? Of course you do. You don't have a choice. Well, yes you do. You could quit reading. Go on. Get out of here. Still reading? Good. You must really like me ;) In my dream I had apparently broken my leg/ankle. It was the same one I broke in college, and I had to wear this combination of the moon boot I wore for that break and the giant knee brace I wore in middle school to try to correct my "floating kneecap." It was a big complication of loops and buckles, and I was trying to wear my snow boots. So I put the boots on, then the brace. Then I took them off because it wasn't right, and put it back on. Then my boot suddenly was off, so I had to do it again. And on it went. I kept putting it on and taking it off. And my family was waiting for me at Olive Garden but it took me like an hour and a half to figure it out. That was my dream. Totally lame. And now I've wasted your time telling you, just like I wasted my dream space by having that dream.
I also had a dream that I was making EZ Mac with my sister, but I added cheddar cheese and not the cheese packets. And then I was on a bus with a bunch of people I went to middle school with. Totally random. And those are the ones I like.
I have no good way to end this. It's Wednesday and that's happy.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Plagiarism
So I'm going to start off this post by saying I'm a big fat copycat. Yup, that's right. Devoid of originality, I am scamming the idea for this post from Emily at http://www.thewinkofaneye.com/. You see, this year I resolved not to make resolutions. They never stick anyway. (I am dreading visiting the gym, knowing how crowded it is during the first part of the year.) And when they don't stick, I'm stuck at the end of the year with a feeling of failure.
But then I argue with myself. "Sally," I say (since I sometimes call myself Sally), "isn't that just lazy?" I mean, if I don't set goals, how am I supposed to have any motivation for anything? I think what I don't like about New Year's resolutions (is it proper to have "New Year's" capitalized? I never know.) is that I don't think there should be a specific time of year for setting goals. People (me) should be setting new goals for themselves all year round, not just in the first few days of the new year (doesn't look right not capitalized, Sally, but that is the proper way to do it in that sentence).
So that brings me to my copycatting ways. Emily (at http://www.thewinkofaneye.com/, check out her blog!) set three categories for herself for the new year. The first was physical, second was spiritual/character, and the final one was creative/intellectual. I like those categories, so I'm *borrowing* them, taking special care to credit her genius (http://www.thewinkofaneye.com/). *deep breath* Aaand, here we go.
1) Physical
This is the one that always gets me off track. It seems like everyone and their dog (really!) makes a resolution resolving to do something physical. (Let's get physical, physical...) (Do you remember the saying "all that and a bag of chips?" "Everyone and their dog" reminds me of that.) (Gosh I'm ADD today.) ANYWAY. Everyone feels guilty following the holiday binging they did, and everyone promised themselves that this week it was all going to change. The cleanse, if you will. (Imagine saying "cleanse" in a pompous British voice, like an old man in a smokers jacket speaking around the pipe hanging out of his mouth) The fanatical, wild-eyed promises to do better this year, to eat healthy to work out 7 days a week for three hours and really drop those pounds...and two weeks later they are (I am) sitting on the couch, watching Biggest Loser and chowing down on french fries. Effective.
So. My first resolution is to get myself moving three times a week. No time limit. If it's 20 minutes, awesome. If it's an hour, even better. If I go to the gym, great. If I play Just Dance on Wii, that still counts. (It is a work out! Have you tried it? Do!) Just getting in the habit of moving is the first obstacle. Of course, if I do more, all the better. I'll also be attempting to eat better, but that's not part of this resolution. One thing at a time, people.
2) Spiritual/Character
This one is the hardest for me, I think. It's an area in which I have been extremely lacking over the past year. The spirituality part. (My character is awesome. Flawless.) I have joined groups and attended church, but not as regularly as I should. I think what I am lacking most is connection. With people and with God. So my resolution here is to get more involved. Make an effort. Don't just attend, do. Give up the excuses that I give for not being more present. Dive in and see where I land. Simple. Right? ...
3) Creative/Intellectual
This one is the one I'm actually most excited about. In November 2009 I started a novel as part of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). It actually has the potential to be a decent teen/young adult novel, but I have lacked the motivation to actually finish it. This year, I would like to finish the manuscript, and then look into what I need to do to submit it to a publisher. It's scary, and I know it's super difficult to get published, but I definitely won't know until I try, right?
My final (unofficial) resolution is to check in with the above resolutions at least a couple times and guage how I'm doing, tweak as needed. Maybe I need to increase one, or hone it. These are just general ideas, ones that hopefully by the end of the year will have me more active, more involved, and chasing my dreams like anything can happen.
Oh yeah, one more thing...
http://www.thewinkofaneye.com/
:)
But then I argue with myself. "Sally," I say (since I sometimes call myself Sally), "isn't that just lazy?" I mean, if I don't set goals, how am I supposed to have any motivation for anything? I think what I don't like about New Year's resolutions (is it proper to have "New Year's" capitalized? I never know.) is that I don't think there should be a specific time of year for setting goals. People (me) should be setting new goals for themselves all year round, not just in the first few days of the new year (doesn't look right not capitalized, Sally, but that is the proper way to do it in that sentence).
So that brings me to my copycatting ways. Emily (at http://www.thewinkofaneye.com/, check out her blog!) set three categories for herself for the new year. The first was physical, second was spiritual/character, and the final one was creative/intellectual. I like those categories, so I'm *borrowing* them, taking special care to credit her genius (http://www.thewinkofaneye.com/). *deep breath* Aaand, here we go.
1) Physical
This is the one that always gets me off track. It seems like everyone and their dog (really!) makes a resolution resolving to do something physical. (Let's get physical, physical...) (Do you remember the saying "all that and a bag of chips?" "Everyone and their dog" reminds me of that.) (Gosh I'm ADD today.) ANYWAY. Everyone feels guilty following the holiday binging they did, and everyone promised themselves that this week it was all going to change. The cleanse, if you will. (Imagine saying "cleanse" in a pompous British voice, like an old man in a smokers jacket speaking around the pipe hanging out of his mouth) The fanatical, wild-eyed promises to do better this year, to eat healthy to work out 7 days a week for three hours and really drop those pounds...and two weeks later they are (I am) sitting on the couch, watching Biggest Loser and chowing down on french fries. Effective.
So. My first resolution is to get myself moving three times a week. No time limit. If it's 20 minutes, awesome. If it's an hour, even better. If I go to the gym, great. If I play Just Dance on Wii, that still counts. (It is a work out! Have you tried it? Do!) Just getting in the habit of moving is the first obstacle. Of course, if I do more, all the better. I'll also be attempting to eat better, but that's not part of this resolution. One thing at a time, people.
2) Spiritual/Character
This one is the hardest for me, I think. It's an area in which I have been extremely lacking over the past year. The spirituality part. (My character is awesome. Flawless.) I have joined groups and attended church, but not as regularly as I should. I think what I am lacking most is connection. With people and with God. So my resolution here is to get more involved. Make an effort. Don't just attend, do. Give up the excuses that I give for not being more present. Dive in and see where I land. Simple. Right? ...
3) Creative/Intellectual
This one is the one I'm actually most excited about. In November 2009 I started a novel as part of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). It actually has the potential to be a decent teen/young adult novel, but I have lacked the motivation to actually finish it. This year, I would like to finish the manuscript, and then look into what I need to do to submit it to a publisher. It's scary, and I know it's super difficult to get published, but I definitely won't know until I try, right?
My final (unofficial) resolution is to check in with the above resolutions at least a couple times and guage how I'm doing, tweak as needed. Maybe I need to increase one, or hone it. These are just general ideas, ones that hopefully by the end of the year will have me more active, more involved, and chasing my dreams like anything can happen.
Oh yeah, one more thing...
http://www.thewinkofaneye.com/
:)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
When one book closes...
Happy New Year! Wow, 2010 was absolutely amazing. I did so many things, it's hard to summarize them. To try would be one epic blog post, that's for sure. Let's see...just a taste, I think.
This year I spent a few months planning weddings in the beauty of Connecticut, journeyed to another time, when the present is known only as "The Histories," spent some time at a magical castle in England, danced with vampires, and battled mythological creatures alongside the ancient gods of Greece. I fell in love numerous times, with various men, and went on dangerous missions to save the world.
You might be asking yourself how one earth I managed to do all of this in the space of only one year. It seems unbelievable. But, of course, the answer is obvious. I did it all from the comfort of my squishy leather couch. I read 66 books in 2010. I know it sounds corny, but for those of us with neither the time nor the resources to do a lot of traveling, the world of books is an easy escape from the day to day doldrums.
It still baffles me when people say they don't like to read. I just think they haven't found the right book. I, being me, like a wide variety of different books. Mostly fiction, but some autobiographical or historical stuff can catch my attention too. But in general, whether they are my cup of tea or not, I think books are amazing. They create entire worlds just using words. They paint word pictures that make those worlds come alive and become real, at least for a little while. The characters in most books evoke feelings of friendship and trust, or anger and dislike from the reader. At least that's how it is to me. I respond to characters in books much as I would to people in real life...perhaps more boldly because I do, in fact, realize they are fictional.
I'm working on creating one (or more) of those worlds myself. I am getting close to the finish of my first complete novel. Of course, that's only half the battle, the actual writing. But we won't get into the complications and impossibilities of getting my writing published. I feel the same way about the world I've created as I do about the ones I've visited throughout that past year and, really, my entire life. I don't control the characters as much as you'd might think, being the author and all. They are many layered, and I don't always even know what they're going to do. It sounds bizarre, and maybe a little crazy, which I probably am. I enjoy visiting them as much as I've enjoyed creating them though, even if the location isn't as exotic as some I've visited in my book journeys.
Perhaps if I weren't so ADD I would be able to finish my book. Just these few paragraphs have taken me almost an hour to write. As soon as I opened up the page to compose a new entry, I had the overwhelming urge to play some Solitaire, and Men in Black is on, which is always distracting due to Will Smith's hotness. So far, 2011 feels pretty close to 2010. I've already finished my first book of the year though. Percy Jackson is highly addictive. I think I'll go start another one. Go read, my friends! You never know where you might go :)
This year I spent a few months planning weddings in the beauty of Connecticut, journeyed to another time, when the present is known only as "The Histories," spent some time at a magical castle in England, danced with vampires, and battled mythological creatures alongside the ancient gods of Greece. I fell in love numerous times, with various men, and went on dangerous missions to save the world.
You might be asking yourself how one earth I managed to do all of this in the space of only one year. It seems unbelievable. But, of course, the answer is obvious. I did it all from the comfort of my squishy leather couch. I read 66 books in 2010. I know it sounds corny, but for those of us with neither the time nor the resources to do a lot of traveling, the world of books is an easy escape from the day to day doldrums.
It still baffles me when people say they don't like to read. I just think they haven't found the right book. I, being me, like a wide variety of different books. Mostly fiction, but some autobiographical or historical stuff can catch my attention too. But in general, whether they are my cup of tea or not, I think books are amazing. They create entire worlds just using words. They paint word pictures that make those worlds come alive and become real, at least for a little while. The characters in most books evoke feelings of friendship and trust, or anger and dislike from the reader. At least that's how it is to me. I respond to characters in books much as I would to people in real life...perhaps more boldly because I do, in fact, realize they are fictional.
I'm working on creating one (or more) of those worlds myself. I am getting close to the finish of my first complete novel. Of course, that's only half the battle, the actual writing. But we won't get into the complications and impossibilities of getting my writing published. I feel the same way about the world I've created as I do about the ones I've visited throughout that past year and, really, my entire life. I don't control the characters as much as you'd might think, being the author and all. They are many layered, and I don't always even know what they're going to do. It sounds bizarre, and maybe a little crazy, which I probably am. I enjoy visiting them as much as I've enjoyed creating them though, even if the location isn't as exotic as some I've visited in my book journeys.
Perhaps if I weren't so ADD I would be able to finish my book. Just these few paragraphs have taken me almost an hour to write. As soon as I opened up the page to compose a new entry, I had the overwhelming urge to play some Solitaire, and Men in Black is on, which is always distracting due to Will Smith's hotness. So far, 2011 feels pretty close to 2010. I've already finished my first book of the year though. Percy Jackson is highly addictive. I think I'll go start another one. Go read, my friends! You never know where you might go :)
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