I haven't posted in 11 days because I've been too freakin' busy. But the good news is I've been pretty on track with most of my goals. I only wrote one day last week because work Kicked. My. Ass. But today I wrote for half an hour before a meeting and finished editing another chapter. Yay. It was lovely too--I sat in the lobby of the hospital where I work with patients and staff walking by. For some reason I do really well writing in coffee shops and other places with people and noise. I think I have a touch of ADD so writing in total silence is hard on me. Even at work I listen to the radio, especially when I'm on deadline. It keeps me focused.
The other good news is that I've finally got the gym habit established. I've been lifting twice a week and doing cardio one day a week, plus I walked three miles on Saturday and Sunday while pushing the baby in my new jogging stroller. I look better already even though I haven't lost more weight beyond the five pounds I'd lost last month. And I feel much better too, more energy and stress levels down.
Anyway, that's all for now. Nothing too exciting but slow and steady progress is good, right?
Monday, February 11, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Daily Goal Check-In
I had a migraine today that felt like a screwdriver being dug into my skull, but I left work early and got a nap and was still able to get in my writing time. So yay. And a really big yay--I met my monthly goal of finishing a rewrite of one chapter. W00t!!1!
I have so little time for myself right now, but that's turning out to be a good thing because it forces me to actually work when I have a chance and not piss around. I'm tired--really farking tired--but very happy too.
I have so little time for myself right now, but that's turning out to be a good thing because it forces me to actually work when I have a chance and not piss around. I'm tired--really farking tired--but very happy too.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Daily Goal Check-In
No writing on Monday but that's okay. I'm realizing that trying to do anything on Monday is probably not a good idea since I'm too tired from the weekend break (That's supposed to be restful, right? Not if you're a mom!). Went to the gym this morning and had a good workout, and will have time to write at lunch today, so that's a good thing. I'm feeling kind of anxious about jumping into the novel but I'm hoping that making writing a regular habit will help with that. Will check in later after I've written.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Daily Goal Check-In
Didn't do this last night, but I wrote and did the Feldenkrais* method on the floor before going to bed. I also made it to the gym at 5:30 a.m. even though it's been raining on a Biblical level (complete with hail). Weirdly enough, the gym was pretty crowded. Maybe everyone is like me and needs some exercise so they can stop feeling sluggish and sleepy from the gray weather.
I'm heading to my car to write after making this post. I haven't achieved my goal of rewriting a chapter but I have another week to go so even though it'll be a hustle I think I can get it done. It's pretty exciting because I've been sweating the word count on the novel, thinking I had to get it to 70K words but I spoke to my coworker (a published novelist) and she reassured me that 60K is just fine. I can definitely do that and I have the plot outlined so it's just a matter of getting the damned thing down on paper. Woo.
The writing at work has really helped me because I have deadlines that have to be met nearly every day and the discipline of writing even when I don't feel like it or feel insecure or uninspired has taught me a lot. I've been able to get decent work done even on the days when I feel like I'm walking through wet cement, so yay for learning good habits.
*WTF is Feldenkrais? It's a form of bodywork that's like a mixture of yoga, tai chi and massage. I like to do it because it helps keep me injury-free at the gym, but it also is very meditative. It forces me to pay very close attention to my body, in the same way that a breathing meditation forces you to pay close attention to your breath. It clears the mind as well as relaxing the body.
I'm heading to my car to write after making this post. I haven't achieved my goal of rewriting a chapter but I have another week to go so even though it'll be a hustle I think I can get it done. It's pretty exciting because I've been sweating the word count on the novel, thinking I had to get it to 70K words but I spoke to my coworker (a published novelist) and she reassured me that 60K is just fine. I can definitely do that and I have the plot outlined so it's just a matter of getting the damned thing down on paper. Woo.
The writing at work has really helped me because I have deadlines that have to be met nearly every day and the discipline of writing even when I don't feel like it or feel insecure or uninspired has taught me a lot. I've been able to get decent work done even on the days when I feel like I'm walking through wet cement, so yay for learning good habits.
*WTF is Feldenkrais? It's a form of bodywork that's like a mixture of yoga, tai chi and massage. I like to do it because it helps keep me injury-free at the gym, but it also is very meditative. It forces me to pay very close attention to my body, in the same way that a breathing meditation forces you to pay close attention to your breath. It clears the mind as well as relaxing the body.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Daily Goal Check-In
Zip yesterday but went to gym at 5 this morning. Will check in later with more.
6:11 pm: no writing today. Gah. I got a phone call from a friend who lives in Dallas and I really wanted to catch up with her so I did instead of going to write. It's hard to make those choices but I don't want to be a recluse and my friends are important to me. At least I made it to the gym. It was great and I'm really glad I went because I had a bitch headache and I needed to relieve some stress.
Oh, and Nathan called me Mama for the first time today! I'm teary eyed just thinking about it. So wonderful.
6:11 pm: no writing today. Gah. I got a phone call from a friend who lives in Dallas and I really wanted to catch up with her so I did instead of going to write. It's hard to make those choices but I don't want to be a recluse and my friends are important to me. At least I made it to the gym. It was great and I'm really glad I went because I had a bitch headache and I needed to relieve some stress.
Oh, and Nathan called me Mama for the first time today! I'm teary eyed just thinking about it. So wonderful.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
3:00 pm
Last week was pretty much a wash. I had six meetings and because of all of the driving back and forth to Duarte I had no time to write during lunch. I also have a cold and couldn't get to the gym either. So all in all it was a complete and utter bitch of a week. But I'm feeling a lot better and only have one meeting scheduled for next week (thank Gawd) so I should be able to get on track.
Meanwhile, what about the title of this post? Well, my son is 8 months old and the only way he can let me know when he feels crappy is by whining, blowing raspberries or outright crying. This usually happens at 3:00 pm, what my husband refers to as the Bitching Hour. Unfortunately, 3:00 pm is also the time of day when I'm tired and just want a nap. It's been interesting to see how we're working out the 3:00 thing. When it first started happening I'd get pissed off and then weepy and feel like a total failure. I was convinced that there was some magic Mommy thing I should be doing and the fact I couldn't figure it out meant I was a completely inadequate mother.
But after a few months, I finally accepted that Nathan, like any baby, is a force of nature. Trying to stop that 3:00 crank is equivalent to crying because I can't stop a rainstorm. I just have to ride it out. So now when he gets red in the face and blows so many raspberries that he has foam coming out of his mouth (I won't make a rabid dog reference here...), I just hold him and wait for it to pass. Is it fun? Hell no. But eventually he falls asleep. And we've made it through another day. And in the morning he'll be Dimpled, Sweet, Cute Baby and I'll get to enjoy that before the storm comes up again.
This has been a good lesson for my entire life, not just for the baby. I'm much less of a perfectionist than I used to be. I've grown to accept that some days are crappy, some hours are crappy and I don't have to do anything about that except ride it out. Some days the writing is hell and, oh well, I get to try again the next day. Some days I don't get to write at all and, oh well, as long as I have more writing days than non-writing days it will all even out in the end.
Meanwhile, what about the title of this post? Well, my son is 8 months old and the only way he can let me know when he feels crappy is by whining, blowing raspberries or outright crying. This usually happens at 3:00 pm, what my husband refers to as the Bitching Hour. Unfortunately, 3:00 pm is also the time of day when I'm tired and just want a nap. It's been interesting to see how we're working out the 3:00 thing. When it first started happening I'd get pissed off and then weepy and feel like a total failure. I was convinced that there was some magic Mommy thing I should be doing and the fact I couldn't figure it out meant I was a completely inadequate mother.
But after a few months, I finally accepted that Nathan, like any baby, is a force of nature. Trying to stop that 3:00 crank is equivalent to crying because I can't stop a rainstorm. I just have to ride it out. So now when he gets red in the face and blows so many raspberries that he has foam coming out of his mouth (I won't make a rabid dog reference here...), I just hold him and wait for it to pass. Is it fun? Hell no. But eventually he falls asleep. And we've made it through another day. And in the morning he'll be Dimpled, Sweet, Cute Baby and I'll get to enjoy that before the storm comes up again.
This has been a good lesson for my entire life, not just for the baby. I'm much less of a perfectionist than I used to be. I've grown to accept that some days are crappy, some hours are crappy and I don't have to do anything about that except ride it out. Some days the writing is hell and, oh well, I get to try again the next day. Some days I don't get to write at all and, oh well, as long as I have more writing days than non-writing days it will all even out in the end.
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