Here is how I have done so far in 2011:
1. Establish routine writing time each week.
-I have stuck to this so far. It is a relief to have a set schedule, a sacred hour, a mandatory meeting time, for writing. I can't feel guilty for not being productive in other things during this time. I can't say that I have made much progress on my various writing projects during these sessions yet. But at least I haven't forgotten them, and growth is happening in other directions.
2. Run two races this year.
-Info for spring races is vague and disorganized from what I have searched so far. I must settle on a date soon, so that the training schedule can follow. I have been running, but aimlessly (well, as aimless as one can be on a treadmill). Fortunately, January has come to a close injury-free.
3. Refinance the mortgage.
-Haven't begun. I did receive an encouragement to do so from my bank in the mail, and I suppose I might follow through soon.
4. Read at least one book from my To-Read list every month.
I read three:
1) Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper (pretty good, not very memorable)
2) A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick (I have mixed feelings, but certainly memorable)
3) Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey (Loved it, loved it, loved it. Why had I not even heard of Josephine Tey until recently? What else am I missing out on?)
4) I also began and gave up on Dante's Divine Comedy (for the Great Authors of the Western Literary Tradition series that I am working through).
But the two-read list isn't any shorter. The Susan Cooper book is part of a five book series, and I listed it as "The Dark Is Rising series", so it can't be removed yet until all are read (or I give it up, but I am finding book #2 to be better than #1 so far). And then I added another line: "More Josephine Tey books", so that won't be removed for a long time, as it is unlikely that I will tire of her any time soon. And then I added at least five more random books to the list. The Dante was never on the list to start. So, the only line that was actually removed from the list was the Goolrick book. Oh well.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Books Read in 2010
In order:
1. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
2. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
3. Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog
4. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
5. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
5. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
6. The Cry of the Sloth by Sam Savage
7. Foundling by D.M. Cornish
8. Lamplighter by D.M. Cornish
9. Spirituality for the Rest of Us by Larry Osborne
10. The Ghosts of Ashbury High by Jaclyn Moriarty
11. Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan
12. Faithful Place by Tana French
13. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (REREAD)
14. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (REREAD)
15. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
16. Un Lun Dun by China Mieville
17. How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford
18. Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
19: The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary by Candace Fleming
20. Light Boxes by Shane Jones
21. The Odyssey by Homer
22. Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede
23. Metamorphoses by Ovid
24. The Aeneid by Virgil
25. Factotum by D.M. Cornish
26. Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney
27. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemison
The Ones That Impressed Me The Most:
-The Aeneid
-The Lincolns
-Montana 1948 (AMAZING)
-Un Lun Dun
-Factotum
-Half Broke Horses
-The Woman in White
1. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
2. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
3. Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog
4. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
5. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
5. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
6. The Cry of the Sloth by Sam Savage
7. Foundling by D.M. Cornish
8. Lamplighter by D.M. Cornish
9. Spirituality for the Rest of Us by Larry Osborne
10. The Ghosts of Ashbury High by Jaclyn Moriarty
11. Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan
12. Faithful Place by Tana French
13. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (REREAD)
14. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (REREAD)
15. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
16. Un Lun Dun by China Mieville
17. How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford
18. Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
19: The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary by Candace Fleming
20. Light Boxes by Shane Jones
21. The Odyssey by Homer
22. Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede
23. Metamorphoses by Ovid
24. The Aeneid by Virgil
25. Factotum by D.M. Cornish
26. Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney
27. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemison
The Ones That Impressed Me The Most:
-The Aeneid
-The Lincolns
-Montana 1948 (AMAZING)
-Un Lun Dun
-Factotum
-Half Broke Horses
-The Woman in White
2011 Resolutions
I am back. When I left blogging, I LEFT. I stopped liking it, very suddenly, for no reason. And I was too busy eating from my CSA box all summer and fall. It will probably happen again. But I had to come back for New Years resolutions. It's my favorite blogging time of the year.
First, a review of the 2010 resolutions:
1. Buy a piano.
DONE, FINALLY. I am SO GLAD that I made that resolution, because the time limit was the only thing that made me do it in the end. Excuses and unfounded fears delayed this purchase until 3 days ago. I fell in love with a new acoustic upright, to be delivered in two days. I've already signed up for a semester of lessons (starting mid-January) and bought a giant stack of sheet music and exercise books. SO EXCITING. Maybe I'll post a photo of it later, if I don't quit blogging again before then.
2. Plant a raspberry bush.
DONE. And I ate, like 3 raspberries from it, before every leaf and bud was devoured by bugs. Very doubtful that it will survive for another year.
3. Complete a short story.
Not done. No good excuse for it. I did write a fourth NaNoWriMo novel (also unfinished) and took an eight-week writing course in 2010. Lots of writings, but no endings.
4. Complete the Couch-to-5K plan.
DONE. Ran a 5K and beat previous time. Found shoes that magically cured injuries.
5. Read Anna Karenina.
DONE. If I weren't so terrified for my safety, trying to live among the towers of unread books around me, I would find more fat Russian novels to pass the time this winter.
Assessment: 4 out of 5 is not shabby.
First, a review of the 2010 resolutions:
1. Buy a piano.
DONE, FINALLY. I am SO GLAD that I made that resolution, because the time limit was the only thing that made me do it in the end. Excuses and unfounded fears delayed this purchase until 3 days ago. I fell in love with a new acoustic upright, to be delivered in two days. I've already signed up for a semester of lessons (starting mid-January) and bought a giant stack of sheet music and exercise books. SO EXCITING. Maybe I'll post a photo of it later, if I don't quit blogging again before then.
2. Plant a raspberry bush.
DONE. And I ate, like 3 raspberries from it, before every leaf and bud was devoured by bugs. Very doubtful that it will survive for another year.
3. Complete a short story.
Not done. No good excuse for it. I did write a fourth NaNoWriMo novel (also unfinished) and took an eight-week writing course in 2010. Lots of writings, but no endings.
4. Complete the Couch-to-5K plan.
DONE. Ran a 5K and beat previous time. Found shoes that magically cured injuries.
5. Read Anna Karenina.
DONE. If I weren't so terrified for my safety, trying to live among the towers of unread books around me, I would find more fat Russian novels to pass the time this winter.
Assessment: 4 out of 5 is not shabby.
RESOLUTIONS FOR 2011:
1. Establish routine time segment for creative writing each Sunday evening for a minimum of one hour. If the appointment must be interrupted for a necessary event (illness, travel, etc), then the time will be made up on another day within that week.
2. Run two races this year. First will be a 5K. If this proceeds injury-free, then the second race shall be a 10K. (Otherwise, two 5Ks.)
3. Refinance the mortgage.
(I have been putting this off for years. Since I have a piano now, clearly I will not be moving anywhere, ever.)
4. Read at least one book from my To-Read list every month.
This is more difficult than it sounds, now that I am entangled in multiple reading projects. I am also working through a CD lecture series on Great Authors of the Western Literary Tradition, and reading all the works that are described therein (and learning LOTS). And I am doing a Women of Fantasy book club, which will be a book per month, with the possibility of being drawn into a series. And then, I am continually assaulted by random beautiful books every time I walk through the library to find something from my To-Read list. So, in an effort to rein in the exponential growth of the To-Read list, I've got to cross off at least one book per month from it.
Anyone else have resolutions for 2011?
2. Run two races this year. First will be a 5K. If this proceeds injury-free, then the second race shall be a 10K. (Otherwise, two 5Ks.)
3. Refinance the mortgage.
(I have been putting this off for years. Since I have a piano now, clearly I will not be moving anywhere, ever.)
4. Read at least one book from my To-Read list every month.
This is more difficult than it sounds, now that I am entangled in multiple reading projects. I am also working through a CD lecture series on Great Authors of the Western Literary Tradition, and reading all the works that are described therein (and learning LOTS). And I am doing a Women of Fantasy book club, which will be a book per month, with the possibility of being drawn into a series. And then, I am continually assaulted by random beautiful books every time I walk through the library to find something from my To-Read list. So, in an effort to rein in the exponential growth of the To-Read list, I've got to cross off at least one book per month from it.
Anyone else have resolutions for 2011?
Monday, April 19, 2010
Last Week
- My whole house is newly recarpeted and I have a new roof and gutters. Trixie and I have had enough of hammering for a while.
- Trixie LOVES the carpet. She likes the springy plushiness beneath her tummy. So do I. It's like walking on a mossy forest floor. Except that the moss is pumpkin spice-colored and there aren't any trees.
- I recently saw the movie An Education. Great movie. It's so rare for me to embrace any films nowadays, in this post-LOTR era. Immediately upon viewing the movie I started over again and watched it with the director's commentary. Well, I usually watch the commentary version (I like to be thorough), but not immediately after. Nick Hornby wrote the screenplay, so I guess it's obvious that I was going to like it.
- Oh, OK. I have watched another good movie. Finished that Anna Karenina miniseries; a good way to distract from roof-installing. It was only 10 hours long, not 30. I was confused. Loved it. The costumes were fabulous. Even the winter coats were amazing. Levin had a fuzzy knobbly white hat that I couldn't take my eyes off of. The actresses who played Dolly and Kitty actually looked like sisters. The actors who played Nikolai and Constantine actually looked like brothers. My only complaint was Vronsky's hair--I had envisioned it as having more volume. It reminded me of that Seinfeld episode with the low-flow shower heads.
- As mentioned before, I am spending as little as possible on food this month. I made it through the first 16 days with only one grocery shopping trip and very little hardship. Food just seems to be multiplying in the cupboards without any effort from me.
- For example, I used up a package of tempeh that had been stashed in the fridge for a while. I hadn't tried tempeh before. I tasted a bit before throwing it in a stir fry and thought, meh, I don't understand this. But somehow, after it was browned and crunchy and tossed with veggies and a sauce of my own creation (tamari, sherry, fresh ginger, hot sauce, garlic, honey), a change came over me. Tempeh is MEATY. Richly fermented and chewy. I am now evangelized. Must pursue more tempeh opportunities.
- Trixie had her dental cleaning under anesthesia. She had a huge cavity and the tooth had to be pulled. Her recovery was odd and troubling. Trixie might not always understand what I say, but she's generally delighted to hear my voice. For several hours after the procedure, she just stared at me when I talked to her. Glassy-eyed, like she had no idea who I was. But now she's much better. She's got her sparkle back.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Alex Letter 2
(Note: Fiction. See Letter 1)
Alexander,
Well, this is a surprise. After two years of sullen and silent acquaintance, occasionally interrupted by outrageous outbursts, I receive a plea for help! Such boldness! Accompanied by an insult, of course. I will not assist in your mysterious project. I have more important things to do. I am severing all ties with the Hennings family. Since you obviously haven't heard, Michael and I are no longer an "item," as they say. My preference is to forget him and the majority of the previous two years. Your note rubs salt into my raw wounds. But here is a big hint, from the bounds of my innate generosity. I know exactly what is wrong with your dear brother. He has suddenly developed terrible tastes in women.
Sincerely,
Meredith Samuels
P.S. Please refrain from sending me further letters, or casually leaning against my locker. People are beginning to talk and draw their own conclusions. Of course, their conclusions are reasonable. There are a lot of guys around here that desperately seek my attention.
(Note: to be continued)
Alexander,
Well, this is a surprise. After two years of sullen and silent acquaintance, occasionally interrupted by outrageous outbursts, I receive a plea for help! Such boldness! Accompanied by an insult, of course. I will not assist in your mysterious project. I have more important things to do. I am severing all ties with the Hennings family. Since you obviously haven't heard, Michael and I are no longer an "item," as they say. My preference is to forget him and the majority of the previous two years. Your note rubs salt into my raw wounds. But here is a big hint, from the bounds of my innate generosity. I know exactly what is wrong with your dear brother. He has suddenly developed terrible tastes in women.
Sincerely,
Meredith Samuels
P.S. Please refrain from sending me further letters, or casually leaning against my locker. People are beginning to talk and draw their own conclusions. Of course, their conclusions are reasonable. There are a lot of guys around here that desperately seek my attention.
(Note: to be continued)
Cinnamon Rolls and Obsessions
As I mentioned before, I am trying to sharply reduce spending on groceries this month. Partly for a fun spring-cleaning challenge (must clean out freezer for spring veggies) and partly to hasten the elimination of the student loan.* I have discovered that if I really scrimp and pinch, it is faintly feasible that it could be paid off in SEVEN MONTHS. But that would require some dangerous reductions in the emergency fund, putting off some other things I sort-of need to buy, etc, so maybe more like twelve months. But either number is a number that I can wrap my mind around.
I am not suffering and don't plan to, but I do have to be a little creative with the pantry and forgo some cravings that might previously have prompted a spontaneous trip to the store. And with every bite of rice or oatmeal or scrambled eggs, I think to myself, I am increasing my net worth with this little sacrifice.
Yesterday I made cinnamon rolls from scratch, from ingredients that I always have around the house, and using my newly-honed courage for baking with yeast. I probably wouldn't have thought to make them without the money-saving challenge. They didn't look beautiful, but tasted divine: buttery, flaky, oozy. I burnt my tongue and melted glaze coated my hands because I was too eager to wait for them to cool.
I think I should gain more experience in sweet roll-making. I will need volunteers to help consume the practice sessions. I'm dreaming of a variation on the cinnamon roll: hazelnut-orange-chocolate. Maybe add a splash of OJ to the dough, leave out the cinnamon, add finely chopped hazelnuts to the filling. Sprinkle in a few chocolate chips; not enough to leak out and burn on the bottom of the pan, but a handful to add a dark surprise every once in a while. Add orange zest to the glaze. Maybe I could sell them, and further pay the debt!!!
*Also, it was an unseasonably warm March and I got a new furnace. So, once I get the March energy bill (hopefully a smaller one than March 09), I will use the difference to pay down the debt!!!
I am not suffering and don't plan to, but I do have to be a little creative with the pantry and forgo some cravings that might previously have prompted a spontaneous trip to the store. And with every bite of rice or oatmeal or scrambled eggs, I think to myself, I am increasing my net worth with this little sacrifice.
Yesterday I made cinnamon rolls from scratch, from ingredients that I always have around the house, and using my newly-honed courage for baking with yeast. I probably wouldn't have thought to make them without the money-saving challenge. They didn't look beautiful, but tasted divine: buttery, flaky, oozy. I burnt my tongue and melted glaze coated my hands because I was too eager to wait for them to cool.
I think I should gain more experience in sweet roll-making. I will need volunteers to help consume the practice sessions. I'm dreaming of a variation on the cinnamon roll: hazelnut-orange-chocolate. Maybe add a splash of OJ to the dough, leave out the cinnamon, add finely chopped hazelnuts to the filling. Sprinkle in a few chocolate chips; not enough to leak out and burn on the bottom of the pan, but a handful to add a dark surprise every once in a while. Add orange zest to the glaze. Maybe I could sell them, and further pay the debt!!!
*Also, it was an unseasonably warm March and I got a new furnace. So, once I get the March energy bill (hopefully a smaller one than March 09), I will use the difference to pay down the debt!!!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Alex Letter 1
(Note: Fiction)
Dear Meredith,
I know that it's bizarre to be opening a letter from me. Don't you start with that dismissive look, the one that you flash over the rims of your trendy glasses. Believe me, it's an even crazier feeling for me to be writing this. I wouldn't be doing it if I weren't completely desperate. But not in the way that you're thinking. I am not that desperate. I have plenty of options as far as that category of life is concerned.
The subject of this note is not myself by my brother, your dear boyfriend, though it disgusts me to apply that appellation to him. Ever since his miraculous recovery from that sickness (I still blame something suspicious in the Latin Club bake sale brownies, but nobody listens to me), something has been wrong with Michael. Creepy things are happening around here. The situation is dire. You have to help me figure this out. We should meet in person to discuss this further. Any time of day that does not conflict with marching band practice should be negotiable.
Thanks,
Alexander
(Note: to be continued)
Dear Meredith,
I know that it's bizarre to be opening a letter from me. Don't you start with that dismissive look, the one that you flash over the rims of your trendy glasses. Believe me, it's an even crazier feeling for me to be writing this. I wouldn't be doing it if I weren't completely desperate. But not in the way that you're thinking. I am not that desperate. I have plenty of options as far as that category of life is concerned.
The subject of this note is not myself by my brother, your dear boyfriend, though it disgusts me to apply that appellation to him. Ever since his miraculous recovery from that sickness (I still blame something suspicious in the Latin Club bake sale brownies, but nobody listens to me), something has been wrong with Michael. Creepy things are happening around here. The situation is dire. You have to help me figure this out. We should meet in person to discuss this further. Any time of day that does not conflict with marching band practice should be negotiable.
Thanks,
Alexander
(Note: to be continued)
Those Letters
Well, goodbye March and daily blogging. Looking forward to a more spontaneous April. For my grand letter-themed finale, my intent was to put a whole hoard of letters on here, from some creative writing that I turned into epistles for fun. But blogger is in some sullen mood and is not happy with me copy-and-pasting from Word. So, just one letter at a time, then.....
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Getting Close to the End
I'm looking forward to the end of March and all this bloggery. Some days it is a heavy obligation! Gets in the way of more creative writing (fiction, I mean), which I've found that generally I don't like to post on here. I still don't really know in which direction I want to take the blog. But I didn't write about food too much, did I? Feeling self-conscious about that. But I will get to that letters theme. Very soon.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Monday Randoms
- Trixie is finally down to every-other-day eye drop dosing. This is a huge improvement in our relationship. She is currently cuddled up next to my hip, rather than huddled at the opposite corner of the couch.
- I started watching a version of Anna Karenina on Netflix, the one starring Nicola Pagett. I thought it was a three-hour movie. After two hours, I learned that it is a THIRTY-HOUR miniseries. But I love it. It makes me appreciate the book even more.
- The carpet installation is scheduled for mid-April. This means that I may shop for the piano now!
- For April, I am going to challenge myself to see how little I can spend on groceries, then put that saved money into further reduction of the student loan. I don't really want to revolutionize my eating habits--I really like spending a bit more to buy grass-fed antibiotic-free beef, milk from the local creamery where cows are hormone-free and treated with respect, eggs from free-range chickens, organic veggies, fair-trade chocolate and coffee, ten-year aged cheddar, etc. But I don't think that I need to be grocery shopping three times per week. So with this in mind, I've already cheated a bit. I've stocked up on staples (olive oil, almonds, canned tomatoes, jasmine brown rice, steel-cut oats....) this weekend to make the April cost-savings challenge a bit easier.
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