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 |   Theses are my thoughts and ramblings as I forge my way through this thing they call life. |
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These are my thoughts and ramblings as I forge my way through this thing they call Life. I blog with these groups:     "Blogging Circle of Friends "  [E] 
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| Today's blog... 24. Holiday songs. Are you a lover or a hater? Tell us your favourites and the ones you dislike the most. I love Christmas songs. My favourite ones are the more religious ones - Silent Night and Oh Holy Night. More recent favourites are from the Casting Crowns album Peace On Earth: I Heard The Bells Are Ringing While You Were Sleeping And a little a capella.... Mary Did You Know - Pentatonix Carol Of The Bells - Pentatonix |
| My latest blogs.... Welcome To My Reality - December Prompts 2. What's your opinion on the concept of 'paying it forward' rather than paying back the person who did the original kindness? Have you experienced this as either the payer or recipient? Tell us about it. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2012/12/31/tim_hortons_customers_pay_it_forwa... I was not part of this... but I think it amazing. I also like this idea... http://www.fastcoexist.com/3042562/change-generation/this-pizza-place-lets-its-c... I like this idea of paying for someone who may not be able to pay.... but someday, they may be able to pay it forward in their own way.... in their own time. Helping out someone brings a smile to my heart. 3. If you had a choice between only celebrating one holiday a year (your choice) or birthdays, which would you choose? I would choose Christmas because people are a little kinder and the songs are lovely. Celebrating the birth of our saviour... without Him we have nothing else. We could do with a little less commercialism and excess. Less presents and more presence. Spending time together with family and friends. Playing games, tackling those winter hills and trails... just doing things together and having fun. Reconnecting with each other and appreciating what we have. 4. Do you believe in karma? Have you ever thought that someone got what they deserved, either good or bad? I do believe in Karma. When I was in high school there was a boy I had a crush on. He did not like me. One day when my friend and I were heading for the cafeteria with him ahead of us he turned around and told me to stop following him.... I believe the f-bomb was also used. I was stunned. I had been following him around on occasion... him and his group of friends - as my girlfriends also liked a couple of his friends. But the day he told me off we hadn't been. My friend wanted to kill him she was so angry that he had been so mean about it. I let it go. I figured if he was going to be that much of an ass, some other girl would crush his heart one day in return. I also knew a guy who had touched me inappropriately when I was a child of seven. Nothing came of those couple of incidents as nobody talked about it. My mother simply stopping calling him to babysit and I stopped going to his family's home - his mother was my usual babysitter. He now has Parkinson's Disease. I am sure there are plenty of wonderful, positive things as well... but for me. Karma kept me calm in knowing that they would get their payback. 5. What is one thing you would suggest to others to help bring peace to our world. Be open and loving to others. Differences are not wrong, they are just differences. We are are all part of the human race and our humanity is what makes us more similar than different. Differences add spice to our lives. Hate and fear drives wedges between us. Let that go. Open up your heart and listen to what others have to say... listen for their truth... and you will probably hear love and acceptance within them. Embrace that. This whole thing with Donald Trump is very unsettling. It is reminiscent of the encampments of the Japanese during WWII. His prejudice is also reminiscent of Hitler and the annihilation of the Jews and anyone else that was not 'perfect'. Fear breeds fear. We can't let a few radicals ruin it all for everyone. 8. Tell us about your first job. My first paid job, outside of babysitting, was at Tim Horton Donuts. I was in grade 12, living in Kitchener after my mother moved in with her future husband. I only worked on the weekends because during the week I commuted to high school in Guelph with my mother - she worked at the University of Guelph, I was allowed to do this because my mother still owned her house in Guelph. All my friends were in Guelph and I had no way of getting to them on the weekends - I did not get my license until December of that year. Working gave me a chance to be around kids my own age since I did not go to school in the area. It was at this job that I met a girl who called my Carly instead of Carolyn... she decided it suited me better. I thought she was great and although I did not like my name changed when people would shorten it to Carol, I liked this change... hence I tend to use the name when I see the more creative side of myself.... like here at Writing.com. My second weekend of work was the Saturday of the Oktoberfest / Thanksgiving Day Parade. It was crazy. The line ran the length of the store and all the way to the street where the parade was going to be. Both our managers were working. They were rather large women... making it a challenge to get by them when the till drawer on the cash register was open. We had to be fast and not spill coffee. I loved it. A busy work shift goes by so quickly. I continued to work there until my mother and I moved back to Guelph at the end of the school year. A part of me wishes I had gotten another job at a Tim Hortons when I returned to Guelph, but I had my friends back and I was no longer so alone. 9. When many people are celebrating Christmas this year, what will you be doing? This year will be a little different. Christmas Eve will be spent with my Mother and her boyfriend. I am hoping to go to church with my mother... we may go to my church or maybe change it up and go to hers. Afterward we go back to her place for snacks, drinks and gift exchange... update....because her boyfriend has to get back to his place for his nightly dialysis treatment I have decided to forgo church this year... so we can have more time visiting before he has t go home. I may also go over for dinner... she is making Chilli! Christmas morning is spent going over to my aunt and uncle's place. It has changed a bit over the years. With my cousins getting older and our family expanding, we are exchanging names now. It makes Christmas less expensive and less stressful. It was starting to get out of hand. We will start by reading the Christmas story from the Bible. Gifts and brunch will ensue. There are even a few games and gift stealing activities planned. This year we will have my cousin's new twins, Perrin and Stella that were born in June. That will be exciting; it has been a long time since we have had little ones around the tree. I am looking forward to that. Last year my cousin's wife was almost 10 weeks and they announced the pregnancy as a gift to my aunt and uncle - two baby sleepers with their company names on them. Our whole family whooped it up... we can be such a rowdy bunch when excited! This year I may stay for Christmas dinner at my aunt and uncles. 11. List all the things you would love to get for Christmas (or birthday or other special occasion). Whether the list is realistic or a wish list, that's up to you. This list is bit of a wish list with a realistic bent: A new pair of figure skates Scrivener for Dummies by Gwen Hernandez Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert Rising Strong by Brene Brown Secret Garden calendar – colouring calendar Peace and Plenty: Finding Your Path to Financial Serenity by Sarah Ban Breathnach Gift cards for bookstores A full time contract teaching position My novel finished and published 13. Make a list of things you have accomplished this year. Feel good about what you have done. I have completed several sessions of I Write - doing a contest a week for much of the year... it is on hiatus for the month of December, but I did the other 3 sessions. I like this contest because it gets me writing, entering contests and review other people's work. A trifecta of wonderfulness. I completed October Nano Prep here on Writing.com I was on team Purple for the Nano Write-a-thon and we came in fourth place. I am not feeling very accomplished this year... but if I try to see the good that the year has brought.... I had another successful Nanowrimo novel with over 105,000 words... not completed yet, but it is still a work in progress. This is an all time accomplishment for me in terms of word count. I also enjoyed hanging out and writing with my Nano friends from this area. It really is a great little community of writers.... if only I could see more of them over the whole year... I will work on that. I also did Camp Nanowrimo in April and July and won both times then as well... that was for a different story - that I still need to finish. I completed a month long challenge of writing poems for The Construct Cup during the month of September - I hope to do this again in January next year. I completed my Romantica workshop. Beyond my writing.... things are pretty much the same. |
Welcome To My Reality – December Prompts. 34. Recently there's been a lot of negativity towards religion circulating, especially in light of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris. Take a moment to consider the other side of the coin. In your opinion, what are some of the advantages/pros of religion? I get that people blame God and ask where he is in all this brutality and senselessness. But it is not God that does this crazy stuff... it is humanity. Men and women of this world. We become tainted by wanting all that we want that we forget to give with our hearts. The world is filled with sin and travesty. We do not help ourselves by staying alone. We are meant to group together to raise our hearts. We are to use our love to heal the wounds of this world. It is not God or religion that is at fault here. It is the radical groups that claim they are doing these things in the name of what they think is right... but we are all the embodiment of our perceptions and thoughts. God gave us free will and it is our choice to follow him and accept his love and turn that love out onto the world as a shining beacon in this dark place. God kicked Satan to the earth and he tries to turn us by using our weaknesses against us. The sin in the world is from the Devil not God. It is our choice. Do you choice to love and be there for others? Or do you live for yourself? Do you follow a path that hurts others or embraces others? God is love. Religion that follows to that is accepting and loving... but all too often we let the world enter and judgement and condemnation seep in... that taints the purity of God's love. Hate breeds contempt and division. It tears it apart. We can only come together and heal in love and in forgiveness as we try to put the pieces back together and help those suffering and left behind in the aftermath of the devastation. 38. Describe a typical Christmas (or any national holiday of your choosing) in your part of the world. Houses are draped in lights in colours red and green A myriad of colours have been added to lighten up the dark. Air blown creatures stand on guard The sound of gentle blowers fills the night. Snowmen, Santa, Reindeer grin, grins of pure delight. We wait for snow Wanting the white wonderland of days gone by. But we also dread the traffic snarls As people take to flight Into the malls, into the shops, They buy, buy, buy A never ending folly Fraught with angry words. Many forget the true, the divine the reason for this season. The Christ in Christmas Oh holy night Where memories of peace and love lift up our hearts As we celebrate our savour And give thanks for his arrival. Just take a moment Stop all this hasty grabbery Look up and take a moment Share a smile of two. Welcome friends and family Who have been there for you. Now is the season of love Reach out and share what you have It does not need to be in packages All glittered up with bows. A kiss, a hug, a loving smile Tells one and all you're there Your presence give them peace of mind That settles in their toes. A loving heart is what you need Gratitude for what you have It is not about what you will get But what you may give that shows The heart of this season, fine. 39. How would you cope if you could never write again? Now is this from the point of view of loosing vital parts to make it physically possible or is it mental or is it imposed from an outside force? If I look at it from a physical point of view.... I would say I would probably make use of some type of technology to help me be able to cope... a computer program that writes my speech, or having someone write down what I dictate. If I was not able to access these things, I would tell myself stories and talk to myself a lot. I need to have my thoughts out in a forum that allows me to think before I communicate. Without that outlet I am an ball of anxiety if the topic is highly emotional. From a mental point of view... like having Alzheimer's or something equally devastating I think I would go quietly crazy or maybe even '"Rage, Rage, Against the dying of the night." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mRec3VbH3w – Dylan Thomas If it was an outside force... I would still tell my stories and talk to myself. If that was not allowed I would enter into that part of myself where I could do that and maintain my sanity. To not be able to write again, is to not breathe. To not create is to not exist fully into myself. |
| Yesterday's blog.... Blog City – Day 635 Prompt: What was your favorite book and favorite movie when you were ten years old? This prompt is really going to date us.... for me that would have been 1977. Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope was released that year... not my favourite Star Wars movie, but the beginning of the them. Even then I liked Harrison Ford. As for books, I would have to say something by Enid Blyton - the Famous Five Series. She also did the Noddy series which I really enjoyed. I remember reading those at the Haileybury Public Library. I believe the first chapter book I read cover to cover was one of hers. I was also a fan of E.B. White - Charlotte's Web and Trumpet of the Swan. I also liked the Tales of the Green Forest by Thorton Burgess. My mother used to read these to me when I was six and seven. I remember Sammy Blue Jay. I still have some of those books somewhere, I am almost certain. My favourite bookstore was The Cobalt Bookshop out on Highway 11. It was the only bookshop in the tri-town are and it was amazing. |
Welcome To My Reality - November Prompts 33. Random acts of kindness, tell us about the last random act of kindness you performed or that you received. Doing small things for others is always good. This morning I noticed our neighbour's garbage can had fallen over and stuff had fallen out - in bags, of course... not too messy. Since the have just recently had a baby and the husband has left for work I picked it up and through the bags back in. No sense having her come out to do it... and she can't see it anyway. The garbage guys do a wonderful job collecting our stuff, but they don't go chasing anything that is fallen out or blown away. The moments it takes to do this made me feel good... and nobody would have known about it had I not written it here. I try to do these kinds of things whenever I can... I can do my part... and make the world a little brighter in the process. 40. Write about your five favourite days/events of this month and why? Nanowrimo has been the focus of this month. I have been writing hot... and managed to cross the 50,000 word finish line at 10:15 am on November 14. This is the earliest ever. The story is still going strong and I feel pretty good about it. Along with Nanowrimo comes the chance to get out with my fellow writers within my community. I have been to several Write Ins - one in a McDonald's of all places... and I treated myself to a burger, fries, smoothie and later an Oreo McFlurry... I got some decent writing done as well. I love going to the various cafes around the area... and usually find a new place to hang out. I also discovered that the Public Library has moved its cafe up to the main floor and you can take your food and drink anywhere in the place... you used to have to stay in the basement and finish your stuff before venturing among the books but now you are free to roam. I like the upstairs leather chair in the corner where I can watch the people below on the main floor by the cafe and the magazine racks. It amazes me who uses the library... every walk of life is represented. I love it. Yesterday I took a blanket, took off my shoes and curled up for some serious Nano writing. It was lovely.... and inexpensive - since you are not required to buy anything to be there. I went to the Halfway Party social at the Adventure's Guild. That was very cool as for a fee of $5 you can play board games with your friends. I played three very stress inducing games of Jenga - I never realized how traumatizing that game can be... no one wants to be the one to topple the tower of blocks. We also played another very cool game, I forget the name of it... there was a lot of calling out and laughter involved. It was a riot... I lost each of our games... but I thoroughly enjoyed myself and that was the point anyway. They also had excellent coffee, milkshakes and sandwiches. I had the Mario sandwich when I went back on Wednesday night for the Write In there. I quite liked that place. I went to the Overnighter at the beginning of the month... I did not stay all night. This body enjoys sleep much too much to deny the chance, but I did go and stay until one o'clock in the morning. I was home before my husband was home from Night Shift. I am looking forward to the Write In Crawl tomorrow night. A group of our lovely Nannoers are meeting at a cafe at 5 o'clock. We write for an hour, then pack up and walk a block or so to the next cafe. We change cafes 4 times and the last one is open until midnight. I enjoy the writing with others and the chance to move around a little. Some people will meet us at various places along the route, others will be there at the last cafe because they don't want to trek from one to another. Last year, I had dinner at the first place, dessert at the second, tea at the third... because the excess coffee was beginning to burn my gut, and a smoothie at the last place. We will see what I do this year. I am also looking forward to the TGIO party on December 1... The Thank Goodness It's Over party. A last chance to see everyone and celebrate our writing achievements - big or small. The sad part is I often don't see anyone until next year... it is like we crawl out of the woodwork for the month then all return to our separate lives come December. One year a writing group started up.... but sadly, it petered out before the spring and even the cafe we all met in has since closed.  ** Image ID #1855238 Unavailable **  |
| Today's blog... Blog City - Day 625 Prompt: When you were a kid, did you want to have the same job or a different job than your parents when you grew up? I never even considered a job my parents had. My mother was a secretary and my Dad was an electrician. My love has always been teaching. My favourite aunt was a teacher. I wanted to be like her. My grandmother's sister, Jean had also gone to teacher's college... although she died of pneumonia before she finished. I loved school and the structure it provided and I liked most of my teachers. It just seemed natural. As for the writing... that was not really considered a vocation... more of a hobby or a way of copying with all the stuff going on around me I could not control. My mother has told me that her Grandma Proud, my Great Grandmother, enjoyed writing. It was a pastime for her. So I guess that to has made its way through the family tree. |
| Today's blogs... Welcome To My Reality - November Prompts 28. Do you consider yourself a spiritual person, why or why not? I do consider myself a spiritual person. I think we are all spiritual beings - wanting to be connected to something greater than ourselves. Some people find that connection within the confines of organized religion - and that has merit... as long as the dogma does not become extremist. Others are seekers beyond the walls of a church, synagogue or mosque. Whatever makes you feel more connected to the whole of existence is your spiritual essence. For me, I consider myself a Christian. I attend church.... but not regularly. I find I get more 'soul food' from watching religious programming on TV - some pastors have a certain way of getting the biblical message across that lifts me up. As a child, I went to St. Andrew's Presbyterian church... until my mother decided you did not have to go to church to believe in God. I have to agree with her. I often find connection when hiking in the forest or taking a quiet moment just to watch the world go by. I occasionally went to the United Church with my friend and her mother. I have also been to the Anglican church with my favourite aunt. She has made an analogy that God is the same God and that all these various forms of religion are just different 'Burger Joints' - you go to the one that 'tastes' best to you. After my father died, I hated God.... or thought I did... but I still believed in God. I was a teenager at the time. I flickered around with the ideas of Atheism and Agnosticism. But I knew they did not suit me. As I matured, I learned that God was not so vindictive... he did not steal my father away... I learned that there is a plan for me. God is not out to get me. He is that soft place to land when the world delivers its cruelty and abuses. Authors, like Julia Cameron and Natalie Goldberg helped me find way back into my spiritual essence. Through writing. Cameron's idea that God is Good Orderly Direction - a guiding force in the universe, helped me to reorient my thoughts and open up to the possibilities. My husband introduced me to the Lutheran Church... which is where I go now. I like the traditions and rituals... they can be grounding, but I know that spirituality is not limited to organized religion. It is greater than that... and I think what it all boils down to is LOVE and CONNECTION. We all need love and connection. 30. What is your favourite animal and why? My favourite domesticated animal is a cat.. There is a certain grace and relaxed air within a cat. A call to the wild side without the ferocity of the great beasts like lions and tigers. I feel a connection to cats, though I love dogs as well - they can be just a bit too exuberant for me. Cats are much more laid back, until they need to be. My family have always had cats. Barn cats, house cats. There is a certain connection to cats that runs deep. My first cat was a grey Persian. I am not sure how old she was when I was born, my father thought they would have to get rid of her - he had grown up without pets and did not think she would adjust well to a baby. My mother did not agree. That cat used to guard me from the dog that lived next door. She would chase him off whenever I was out playing in my sandbox. After her we got out first tri-coloured calico cat. She was a clown. I grew up with her. She was my heart. She lived to be almost 21 before she had several paralyzing strokes and had to be put to sleep... I still miss her sweetness and her comicality. I got another calico cat. My husband was not a fan... but she was my girl. Like the calico before her, she was my heart and my laughter. She lived to be 17 before she got mouth cancer. I have been without a cat of my own since then... I miss having one around. I have developed allergies... which I think is highly unfair, but my husband is also not a big fan... he prefers dogs. For a time we had both. The two of them were a good pair... but my heart still belongs to my cats. My mother and aunt have cats... I make sure to visit often and get my 'cat fix'. 31. What is your favourite thing about WDC? I love this writing community. When I first joined I found it overwhelming and I was nervous about sharing my work. I knew I needed to put myself out there. WDC felt safe.... especially when I started to ask questions and was pleasantly surprised there were many people who offered assistance and friendship. I found myself accepted into the Newbie Group and the The Paper Doll Gang... both of which are extremely supportive. PDG offered a chance to learn the ropes in a fun and engaging way and I found myself drawn in. I consider WDC my online home. Each morning I sign in, check my emails and my personal Newsfeed to see how everyone is doing. I feel connected even on those days when my offline world is not so good. I have gained confidence in sharing my writing and getting constructive feedback on strengthening my work... that is appreciated and so are the small reviews that just give a boost and a thumbs up. I have also learned to review other people's writing... I have learned to give constructive reviews with a kind heart... I don't want to overwhelm anyone, but I also want to help and learn through the process. Reading other people's work has both inspired and challenged me to write my very best. Contests have challenged me to try things I would not have done before. Workshops have guided my learning and expanded my knowledge base and I appreciate the opportunities I have found here. Mostly, I appreciate the people. WDC is a community that cares. Learning and support go hand in hand with friendship. I am proud to be a member of this site... what once seemed so large and overwhelming has become a place of solace and comfort. Thank you to everyone for being there for me and for letting me be there for you. I look forward to the future with a happy heart. |
| Today's blogs... Blog City – Day 614 Prompt: Each person has a like or dislike when it comes to novels and some people will not bother reading certain kinds of novels. What do you think a novel should entail to make you read it? I focus on character when I write. Good authentically real characters charm me... they are flawed, but they persevere. I am willing to follow them through their story and cheer them on. I am also willing to 'hate' the villian and want to see them fall. Character lends itself to story... plot unfolds in what the character wants and how they are willing to go after it. Conflict with their obstacles give rise to wanting the main character to prevail and the antagonist to fail. I read a lot of romance novels. Authors like Jill Shalvis craft authentic characters and their stories play out in a way that makes you want to see them overcome the obstacles that try to stand in their way. The juicy sex scenes are also a bonus. The scenes are 'romantica' - romantic erotica - where a loving relationship is heated up in a way that is as beautiful as it is sensually sexual. I hope that my stories can emulate her tone and style. I do read more serious novels. Character is still important regardless of genre.  Welcome To My Reality - November Prompts 22. What role does social media play in your life and why? Social media is both a blessing and a curse. I find Facebook a great way to connect with friends and family all over the world. I have made some wonderful friends here at Writing.com and I am able to connect with them on Facebook. The problem is the games... I love them, but I also find I can loose hours playing them. I find when I have Facebook open on my computer it tells me every time someone posts something new... that can be really distracting when you are trying to focus on your writing. I also find that my email account gets bombarded with each post... that is just crazy. During NaNoWriMo I have closed it on my computer - only going on twice so far to email a family member so that I could thank them for the Family Tree booklet they sent me - I have been able to reconnect with family that was 'lost' to me. I have a Twitter account. I do not use it much as I still find it a bit overwhelming, but I do like the Nanowrimo links as I am able to do word sprints with others around the world - I will admit I have not done this yet this month. I opened my account for this Nano connection. I know there are other aspects of the social media world but for now I am comfortable having my toe in. 24. What is your favourite season of the year and why? Each season has its pluses and minuses. Fall is fabulous for the colours and the cooler sweater weather, but as it lengthens and gets darker it starts to take on a more depressing feel. Cold rain, like we are experiencing tonight, is a real downer. I do like that the cooler weather sends the bees and bugs into their hibernation modes. Spring is lovely. A reawakening. My allergies don't appreciate the changes but I like the longer sunny days and the rain becomes warmer. Summer is glorious with its early green and warm weather. Hot sunny days when you can head to the beach are great. Long days full of sun make me smile. Winter is probably my least favourite season... once Christmas is put to bed for another year, I am wishing it away. I don't like the short days and the darkness. I do not like the severe cold days and southern Ontario is damp making it worse than my northern Ontario hometown. Sun on fresh snow is breathtaking, but not enough to make me want to like it that much. I would say my favourite months are September and October - early fall - colourful and fresh. Back to school and sweater weather. Trail hikes without the excessive allergies or the bugs. You just have to avoid outdoor garbages and dumpsters because the yellow jackets are going stupid - this also means no open window while I am driving. 27. What is your biggest hope for the last two months of the year? I want to finish strong. I am doing NaNoWriMo this month. I am currently over 37,000 words so I am expecting a win. I hope to continue working on this story as it is something that I am currently dealing with in my life... the story is a fictionalized version of course - I have added in elements to make it more dramatic and put in a happy outcome. I have also made my characters a little younger so that they have a chance to really change. I am not sure if I am going to get my Poetic Exploration poems all completed. I may have to withdraw from the workshop and ask for a continuation for the next time the session runs. My personal life is in upheaval and I need to make some serious decisions in the near future. I am hoping that these changes do not diminish my writing time extensively, but only time will tell. I am hoping supply work will pickup, but I am also thinking I am going to have to take on something else for evenings and weekends so that I can support myself. |
| Today's blogs... Welcome To My Reality - November Prompts 17. What have you learned about yourself through your writing? I write to find myself. I write to learn about myself. I write to express what I really think. I also write to work out issues that concern me. Writing grounds me when the day to day challenges build and feel like they are going to overwhelm me. I started writing when I was a least 7... around the time my parents were having problems. They eventually split up. I was an only child, living in a small northern Ontario town where I was probably the only one in my class with separated parents. It was the 1970s. Writing let me explore my feelings without having to talk about them.... because my family did not talk about stuff like that. I also find blogging really puts me in touch with what is important to me and challenges me to consider the issues raised. Writing about these things, I am able to see what it is I really think... hence learning about myself in the process. 18. How do you balance all that is going on in your life? I would be interested to read others responses to this... as I find I am not always the most balanced of individuals. Well, on a mental level, I am fine... just in case you were wondering.... but being a writer, aren't we all having to deal with momentary imbalance at times? In terms of the day to day, I am not always consistent... just like my inconsistent hours. Some days I am called in to supply teach and other days I am 'free' to do as I please. The problem lies in having too many hours and feeling like you have time to get to things, when by the end of the day you find you wasted most of those precious hours. I get more accomplished if I am busier. The day I supplied all day and then went to a three hour workshop afterward, I found I was still able to crank out a thousand words for my Nano novel. But Saturday, on double down day, I waffled through my time... I did get a decent word count, but part of that was from writing with others at the Overnighter until 1:40 Saturday morning. I posted my word count when I got home that included the writing I had done in the first three hours of the overnighter - that was technically Friday night's words. (Friday was also a supply day and I managed a two hour nap before heading out to the overnighter). November is a crazy month anyway... this is my 4th year doing NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month (I am over 31,000 words). Balance is precarious in November - especially since that is usually the month my husband decides to complain about all the other months I am inconsistent with the cleaning and such. Just one more emotional tag to add to my monthly baggage. I am hoping the supply work will pick up but I am thinking I will need to get another part time job to supplement my income. To keep me on track, particularly in the area of house care and cooking - both of which I don't care for and try to put off - I find making a schedule of things to do helps. In this schedule I also need to take in to consideration my husband's schedule - sometimes he is on nights and sometimes he is on days. When I do certain activities depends on how much noise the activity creates and if he is sleeping or gone to work. I prefer to get the cleaning done and out of the way as soon as possible in the morning... that way I can get to more preferable things afterward.... and still stop to prep for dinner if he will be here for dinner. I also write better in the morning, so I try to do a little of both and see how the time plays out. It is always a juggling game. 19. What motivates you to give your all towards something? Passion and love for what I am doing. I am motivated to roll out of bed to write. To meet up with friends. To teach an exciting lesson I have taken time to plan. It is even more motivating when the students pick up on my motivation and run with it... this is harder to do with daily supply work. You do not get to plan the lessons and you are meeting new students each and every day. Having my own class and my own group of students motivates me to provide engaging lessons for them so that I can inspire their own creative and thinking minds. I enjoy working with special education students because they need an advocate - someone to be there for them... to let them know they are wonderful just the way they are and to support them through all they are going through. Small steps are celebrated. Breaking tasks down so that they can find confidence in doing things that they originally found impossible. Guiding and facilitating their learning... that is both the challenge and the sweetness of success when they finally master it. I helped. I cared enough to be there. Those are the things that motivate me. 20. Procrastination, does it work for you or against you? One of the things I learned in University was how long you could procrastinate doing something and still rock it. Sounds awful, really, but I found there was a level of frenzy I needed to get some papers done. Leaving it too long could cause me to freak out... then I would find my center and plow through. Finding the perfect spot of procrastination and motivation was a challenge. I was young and stupid. Now I find I tend to tackle things much earlier... I do not have the stamina to put myself through that turmoil. The real world can through you things you do not anticipate... so it is better to deal with something right away so that it is taken care of before I forget to do it completely. My university average was in the 70s for grades. When I went to Teacher's College, I was more mature and did not do that crazy procrastination game... my average was mid to high 90s. Part of that was interest level, but it was also doing my projects with more time and attention. I still procrastinate. But I also know it is so not good for my peace of mind. |
| Today's blogs.... Welcome To My Reality - November Prompts 7. How do you handle anger? I am not good with strong emotions... I tend to downplay them and repress them. Anger leads to conflict and I tend to repress this emotion the most... yes, I know that is not good and I know that those emotions come out in other ways - generally directed at inanimate objects or yelling at other drivers on the road for there stupidity. Conflict scares me. My husband can not handle me venting so I try never to do that around him - also unhealthy. What I know intellectually and what I know emotionally are not in sync. It is one of my many flaws. I am better in work situations. More professionally assertive. I am also okay when I am communicating to family - those that are blood related... there is something about unconditional love that lets me speak my peace and move beyond the situation. I just have major issues when the conflict is with a partner... I grew up seeing an argument as `the end' so I have that fear hurdle to pass over before I can say anything at all. Also, in my family if someone is upset they are allowed to have their say without the other person getting all bent out of shape... my husband does not function that way. So if I ever bark about something and he barks back, I shut down immediately. Going for long walks and writing about my concerns and issues help me find a place to unload the emotion and deal with it in a more productive way... then I can approach things more calmly. As a child, my mother did regular blowups. I found them scary and would retreat to the safety of my room with the cat. She has learned not to do that anymore, but as a child they were not fun... especially when dishes flew - once. 9. Write about what makes you the happiest. I like communing with nature. Walking trails on a sunny day is blissful. Seeing God in all things around me... it is more real than being in church where dogma and ritual are more the focus. Being in nature brings out the spiritual connected aspects of my relationship with God. Writing and drawing also link in to blissful states. Finding flow in a creative pursuit is a high above no other. Spending time with people who love and accept me for who I am. With things being tense around here, it is nice to know there are still people that think the world of me. 14. How much time do you spend worrying? Do you tend to worry about the same things all the time? Sometimes I think worry is my middle name. I know it is a useless emotion... analogous to a rocking chair - always moving but not getting anywhere. The energy devoted to worry strain the system and wipe me out. I try to combat it with long walks, writing about my concerns or doing something that will help to 'fix' the issue. By breaking a big job into component steps, I can work through a situation... chipping away at the huge, paralyzing concern. This is a conscious decision and many times I fail at doing that.... particularly when the fear is too overwhelming but writing about it helps me find a way into the maze of possibilities and a way to break the band of worry that jars and jostles me at ever turn. 15. When was the last time you set goals for yourself? Were you successful? Why or why not? I try set goals every week.... Writing.com has a great forum for just that purpose - "Weekly Goals" ... but I have been lax of late. I try to focus on goals in several areas of my life - Writing, Reading, Working and Exercise. I have monthly reading goals - also part of a forum here on Writing.com -"CLOSED!The Monthly Reading Challenge" . I am doing several things this fall for writing - the biggest right now is NaNoWriMo - 50,000 words of a novel done by November 30 - I am already over 14,000 words and it that was within the first 4 days. I am also doing the Poetic Exploration workshop, but sadly, I am way behind in my poems and am feeling a bit overwhelmed about this term... I may pull out and try again next session, but we will see. I am doing weekly entries into contests and reviewing my challengers in "I Write in August-September-October" . Unfortuneately I missed last week with my major writing for Nano. I also blog for Welcome To My Reality - a minimum of 20 prompts a month for a blogging badge. I did 21 last month and so far I have posted 6 this month but these ones will bring my total up to 10 - half way there and only November 5, that's good. For work I have to update my Apply to Education information and keep ready for daily supply. I am thinking I may have to add look for other part time work to the mix because the supply work has been slow so far this year. I do hope it picks up soon. I have also taken a few workshops to keep my skills current. And I have done all my video training that we are required to do each fall - there are seven of then - each taking at least 30 minutes to complete. Exercise.... well, I try to walk 10,000 steps every day. I do better when the weather is nice and pleasant. This week has been really good - 20 degrees Celsius in November is amazing! I also try to do a few yoga sessions each week but I have been lax in that as well. These are areas I feel I have the most control over... but I should add my relationships to the mix as I sometimes forget to me overly social at times. |
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