The To-Do List: October

We’re about a week into October already, but I’ve already started on my goals for the month.

Run/jog two to three times a week. This is one I’ve definitely started, having already run two days last week! I don’t go very fast or far, but I do notice myself getting a little better each time around. For now, though, I just want to focus on repetition, not necessarily leaps and bounds of improvement.

Read five books. Since I read less than a handful of books last month, my goal is to kick it back into high gear this month. Over the weekend, I put together a decently sized TBR pile, and I hope to work my way through it in the next few weeks–not to mention the NovelTea selection for October, The Graveyard Book, which is my first foray into the world of Neil Gaiman, so I’m pretty stoked on that.

Work on a new issue of Small Parts: Prose Poems & Mini Stories. Since I’ve just about finished the writing for OGBC #006, my plan is to jump right into a new issue of my creative writing zine as soon as I can. The nice thing is that it’s much simpler to put together, so it should be an easy goal. I’ve got a good collection of pieces to go through on typetrigger and in my poetry notebook, so I’m excited to put that together soon.

Get the house decorated for Halloween. Halloween is probably my favorite holiday, and now that we have a whole house to decorate, I definitely want to get on that. My mind has especially been stuck on ways to decorate the porch. I’m thinking lights, fake cobwebs, and plenty of pumpkins on the steps. (I also need to clean up the porch in general, though. It’s a bit of a post-construction trash can at the moment.)

And how did I do on last month’s goals?

Well, I didn’t quite finish OGBC by the end of September, but I got awfully close, so I’m not too heartbroken. I managed to do ten full pushups about three weeks into the month, so I’m really pleased with that progress. (I’ve got a bit of a flexible goal in being able to do twenty by the end of this month, but we’ll see.) Until it started to really get chilly out, I was spending a decent amount of time on the porch, although maybe not as much as I could have; I did take a nice bike ride when we had a small heat wave at the end of the month, though, and that was so satisfying. I sat in the park, reading and writing for a few hours. And lastly, not only did I come up with a name for my literary zine, but I put out a call for submissions and got my first submission last week. I think that was arguably the most successful project of the month.

So far, these posts are great at helping me not only stay on track with goals, providing some accountability, but also acknowledging my successes.

What are your goals for October?

Writing: A Look at My Process

Sara (of Sincerely, Sara) tagged me in this little writing-related blog hop, and how could I possibly refuse to answer questions about my writing process? I jump at just about any chance to gab about writing, so of course I’m playing along!

What am I working on/writing?

I’m just now working on finishing up my next zine as my main/big writing project of the moment, but I often take time to write a poem or two every once in a while. And of course, there’s always my blog. Come November, I’m hoping to dive into another round of NaNoWriMo. I’m feeling really good about it this year, and I’m actually intending on going the “planner” route this time around, so I’ve been getting ideas together for when that starts as well.

How does my work/writing differ from others of its genre?

See, it depends on what I’m writing, because I work in a lot of different genres depending on my mood. When I work on young adult-type stuff (usually short stories or some novel attempt), I don’t know if it’s all that different. I do try to make it more diverse than a lot of the popular stuff I’ve read–though there are some wonderfully diverse works if you just know where to look–but I still think it’s a little tame, at least at the moment. My poetry is a little weird, though. It’s kind of all over the place, so I think it’s safe to say it’s nothing anyone would consider a “classic” style.

Why do I write what I do?

To connect with people. I lovelovelove sharing my thoughts and feelings and experiences, and I actually really hate starting conversations with strangers, or even close friends sometimes, so writing is such a strong way for me to do that comfortably. I end up delving into different genres because how I present something depends on exactly what I want to say. A lot of the time if I don’t feel like telling a straight up story, I’ll lean more towards prose poetry because it has this certain kind of freedom I really appreciate.

How does my writing process work?

Usually it involves me finding a comfortable place to write–often either the couch or in bed–and I just go. Of course, there’s a lot of distraction and internet browsing if I’m writing on a computer rather than in a notebook, but it’s also faster to use the keyboard, so I don’t really have a preference between the two. I definitely feel I do my best writing on the weekends because I can stay up late and wander the house, make myself comfortable and do whatever I need to keep my gears moving; my process is a bit more restricted during the week, so it’s much more of  a slog. I do wish I was the kind of person who could have a better routine–sit at my desk with some tea and work for a few hours, for example–but I fall off that wagon pretty quickly whenever I try, so I’m not sure it’s for me.

I’m really terrible at tagging people for these sort of things, so I won’t try, but I’d love to hear your answers to these questions if you fancy yourself a writer.

The To-Do List: September

Okay–so this is a new thing I’m starting each month, a bit of a to-do list post where I share my goals for the coming month, plus a recap of the previous month. Of course, this time around I have no recap, so it’s just the list. I’m thinking three to five items are good, not too overwhelming, and maybe-hopefully this will keep me accountable throughout the month.

Finish up One-Girl Bicycle Club #006. I have literally been working on this for months–since we moved into the house–but I’ve struggled to put anything together. I write pieces, then feel like they’re no good or they’re too short or they’re not timely enough. My goal now, though, is just to suck it up and finish. I’ve got a word count goal I want to meet before putting it together, and I’m feeling very positive about accomplishing this one.

Do ten full push ups. I might be able to do ten modified right now, but I’m not positive, and even though I’ve been exercising lately, I haven’t done much to really gauge my improvements or anything, so I think at the very least making note of how many full push ups I can do is a good way to keep track.

Choose a name for my lit zine. I’m hoping to put this one out in December, so I need to come up with a name asap to start putting out a call for submissions. Originally I was just going to focus it around food, but I think I’m going to scratch that idea and just keep it open to basically anything I like–mostly because I couldn’t think of a name when I was focusing on food. You can be sure this is one I’ll post about as soon as I accomplish it, though, so I can start getting submissions! Doing a lit zine has kind of been a dream of mine for a few years now, so I’m excited to finally start working on this.

Spend more time outdoors. I have this wonderful, adorable porch, and I don’t spend nearly enough time relaxing on it. Granted, our house is next to a pretty busy street, but it’s still nice when the weather is good. I’m thinking a few hours a day, three or four days a week.  I can watch people walk by and maybe get away from the distractions aplenty to be found indoors (eh-hem, Netflix).

Y’all got any plans for the month? Anything in particular you want to get accomplished?

Boston Comic Con: Thoughts & A Haul

This is my, “I’m in a car for almost two hours one way,” face.

Saturday, Dan and I went to my (our) first Comic-Con ever. Ever ever. And boy, was it something. I think what I really liked about it was the size. The place wasn’t too small, but there was still so much to see and there were so many people. My favorite was definitely two girls dressed as Satsuki and Mei from “My Neighbor, Totoro,” with a sign that said, “We’re looking for our Totoro.” Somewhat disappointingly, I didn’t see a Totoro throughout the convention. At least not on the day we were there.

I didn’t take a lot of pictures while we were inside because it was pretty crowded, and also I was too shy to ask if I could take anyone’s picture. But there were such great artists and cosplays. One was a full-size Dalek, which was already exciting, but it turned out that the person inside was a child, so I was even  more impressed and amused. I did pick up plenty of new stuff, though! I ended up doing about fifty thousand laps around the place, carefully considering every purchase I made.

The one thing I feel badly about is that I didn’t get names of anyone whose art I purchased. I just completely spaced on it and forgot to make little mental notes. I can honestly say I love everything I got, though. I’m so into the styles and obviously I’m in love with the characters. I kind of can’t wait to hang everything up in my library. The only problem is I wish I had more wall space, but I think a gallery wall above my computer desk could work fine.

Overall, despite the heat and the ton of people all in one room, it was such a fun time. I did have a few moments of mini panic because there were so many people, but it was worth it. I got some great stuff, talked to some really nice people (even though I hate small talk of any kind), and I definitely look forward to going again next year. I learned a few things from this experience (backpack, not tote bag!), and I think next year will go even smoother.

Bicycle Love

Part of me feels like I should be doing some serious themed post or something (I haven’t blogged much about my writing in a while, but I promise I’ve been working on it), but I just really want to talk about my new bicycle.

I got this bicycle from Craigslist–my second bike purchase from there, and so far the more satisfying one–and I fell in love as soon as I found it. Firstly, it’s yellow. YELLOW. Yellow is such a happy, positive color; it’s easily in my top three favorites. Secondly, it’s the exactly style I was looking for. The bike I was riding before, a cruiser, was good, but it has its troublesome spots (mainly the gears), and it’s quite heavy. Before we moved here, Dan and I bought me a road bike, but as it turns out, I absolutely detest the handlebar style of road bikes. I feel much more stable with handlebars that allow me to sit upright than requiring me to lean forward, so I don’t think I’ve ever even ridden that one. My cruiser has comfortable handlebars, but like I said, it’s pretty heavy, and the gears only kind of work on it, so it’s not ideal.

Enter this beautiful Craigslist discovery.

I think Dan tried to talk me out of it because it was a bit pricey, but if so, he couldn’t have been trying too hard because, well, there it is in my yard. I asked if the seller could go a little lower, and she did, and honestly I probably should have asked her to go even lower because the seat was a problem and had to be replaced, but I think it’ll ultimately turn out to be worth the money. With only one car right now, traveling is a little difficult, and as nice as it can be to walk to and from work, on ninety-degree afternoons, it’s just preferable to get home in fifteen minutes instead of thirty.

After we picked up the bike, we brought it home for a little tuning up, but it was kind of beyond our abilities for the time being, so Dan dropped it off at a bike shop last week, and Saturday morning we picked it up with a brand-spankin’-new seat and some smooth brakes. If I’m honest, I’m still a little shaky on it because it feels quite tall, but Dan says it’s the perfect height for me in reality, so I’ll just have to get used to it, which I’m determined to do because I frickin’ love this bicycle.

It came with a couple of cool, cute accessories, too: front and back lights, fenders, some big front reflectors, and a rotation counter on the front. I don’t actually like riding at night so I don’t know how much use the lights will get, but they’re still fun to have, and I’m not sure yet what to do with the information I get from the rotation counter, but if you have any ideas, please share, because I do like having it; I just don’t know what to do with it. Additionally, I plan to get a basket for it so I can pedal my little butt to the farmer’s market this summer and get a few things.

Truth: I have a hard time leaving the house by myself. It’s a personal victory every day I make it through work. So I don’t always ride my bike anywhere other than to and from work. I was beyond proud of myself the weekend Dan was away and I rode my bike to Walgreens for dinner (not that it was a very admirable dinner–candy and Arizona iced tea), and I hope to start exploring a little more. Before we moved, I used to walk or ride my bike to this little reservoir near our apartment, and I’d spend time there sitting beside the water, reading or writing and taking photos of the different animals that would come by. I want to find a new place like that here, somewhere to relax on a beautiful summer day with my bike and my words. I just need to find the courage to go out.

What’s your preferred method of short-distance travel? Do you like bikes as much as I do? Or do you not like them at all maybe?

My Mini Farm Life

my garden beds, a team effort between Dan and me

Okay, full disclosure: My home is definitely not a farm as you would traditionally think of one (although I have nicknamed it The Homestead). It’s really only vaguely country-fied in the sense that I have my little garden going on in the backyard and the house came with a cute clothesline. As you can see, I’ve started with a pretty small garden: two beds, eight kinds of vegetables. I have some books and resources, but I’m also learning as I go and occasionally just winging it, so small was the best way to start for me. However, everything is doing quite well to varying degrees so far, so I’m confident that I’ll be able to expand next year. Still, it’s not the several acres I imagine having someday, with apple trees and berry bushes and three or four different farm animals (plus barn cats, of course). Instead, it’s less than an acre, with a few foods growing out back and an indoor cat who runs away when you open the front door. It’s my mini farm, at most.

pea plants, which are doing wonderfully / a new box Dan recently built for herbs from the farmer’s market–with only basil for now

To give myself a bit of credit, I do what I can right now without trying to get too deep in anything, and I like to think this is just a step in achieving my dream goal of that several acres someday. Even just next year we’ll hopefully expand a little, if not in space then in what we have and produce. We’re already planning on adding at least two more garden beds, as well as thinking of the best way to bring in chickens–where to house them, mostly. (I think we’re allowed up to five according to the town laws.) I’d also like to work on getting bees, but that might be too ambitious for next year. That might mean it’s a goal for 2016, that’s all.

tomato plants, another group that’s doing well

I love watching everything I’ve planted get a little taller each day, and being surprised when things pop up overnight. For the longest time my peppers didn’t seem to be doing anything, and I was beginning to think I’d have to restart them, but a day or two after I began considering that, the little green sprouts appeared and I noticed them walking in from work. And yesterday I finally managed to do my laundry early enough in the day that I could hang it out on the line. (Unfortunately, I also got a dozen or so bug bites in the process.) It’s not like it’s anything fancy or I’m the only one who does it or there aren’t people who do any of these things not because they want to but because they genuinely have to; rather, it’s just the fact that I can and I want to and I do, and all of it feels so fulfilling in big and little ways. It’s about what doing all of this means to me, so even if it’s still a teeny, tiny bit of “farm life,” it’s good.

my little clothesline that came with the house

There’s also so much I still want to learn. I’ll need to figure out how to collect seeds from everything I’ve planted this year to save myself from having to buy new ones next year.  I want to learn how to start preserving and canning, and we have the perfect spot in the basement for storage. I just want all the plants and I want all the knowledge–but I know it’s going to be a while before I get those things.

It’s just this dream that keeps growing with each bit of it I achieve.

Say Hello to Lexi, Our Newest Family Member

A client/work friend of my mom is moving to Florida at the end of the week and was unable to bring her dog with her–sad face. My mom, however, had the bright idea of having Dan and me step in and take her since we were looking for a dog anyway. She’s nothing close to what we were looking for from the humane society (we were leaning more towards a lazy, low maintenance dog, and she is all about being active), but she’s very sweet. She and Charlie aren’t necessarily on the best terms yet, but I’m hoping they at the very least become civil with one another, if not best friends or anything.

We were curious about how good she would be out in the yard, how much we would have to tie her up or keep her on a leash, and as it turns out in the backyard we can let her off the leash completely. She’s so in love with playing fetch and chasing tennis balls that she completely tunes out everything else. When she’s indoors and joggers go by the house, she’ll bark at them, I think mostly because she’s not used to them, but when we’re out in the yard, nothing matters but the tennis ball.

Of course, she’s also great for taking on walks. We went for frozen yogurt last night and took her with us, and surprisingly she didn’t want any of my froyo when I offered to share. As we walked, she was mostly interested in checking out various things besides the sidewalk, though there was a little tiff with a somewhat aggressive German shepherd across the street. In general, though, she’s all smiles and affection–at least for people.

I think she definitely loves Dan more than she loves me, but that’s okay. I guess Charlie’s my baby boy and Lexi is Dan’s baby girl. There’s still plenty of love to go around, though.

 

Conway State Forest + Record Store Day

We went on another hike over the wekeend, this time in a more woodsy, less openly scenic area, and although we planned to pick up some geocaches, we forgot the batteries in the GPSr were dying, so we only managed to grab one. Still, the forest and water scenery was wonderful, and even the uphill walking wasn’t quite as bad as the week before (though still pretty bad). I’ve always enjoyed water–lakes, oceans, brooks and streams–so it was fun to find a place full of makeshift bridges and tunnels in the forest, crystal water rushing down the tree-covered hills, all bubbly and foamy.

One thing I didn’t get a photo of, and I don’t know why, was the abandoned house near the parking area. It was big and red, and fairly well-kept aside from the broken windows. I think every window I could see on the house had been shattered. During our walk, I kept telling Dan there was probably a family of hillbilly murderers living inside, and when we got back to the car we’d find it unable to start because they would steal our spark plugs. Then they’d kill us and wear our faces as masks.

I watch a lot of horror movies.

But as it turned out, we got out of the woods just fine and ended up going to a nearby record store to see what they had for Record Store Day. It didn’t look like they had a lot of vinyl special releases, but I did go through a couple of bins of used records and find a copy of Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual (a veritable classic) and The Temptations Greatest Hits (even more classic), both of which are in excellent listenable condition, even if they have a few marks on them. I was worried The Temptations record might have issues because it has a big mark on one side, but it plays just fine.

In all, it was another good Saturday. It was a nice break from some worries, and I was full of energy and positive vibes for the whole day afterward.

A Hike at High Ledges, Western Massachusetts

Dan decided he wanted to go for a hike this weekend and invited me along, saying it would be a light one. It wasn’t what I would personally consider “light,” most likely because I never go hiking in the first place, but it certainly could have been worse. We went during some apartment showings, so the timing was pretty perfect, although it was right in the afternoon so it did get a bit warm. Overall, though, not a terrible experience.

While the actual hiking wasn’t my favorite (though, like I said, not terrible either), I did thoroughly enjoy the sights. My favorites were actually while we were driving up to the trails, passing through some seriously beautiful farm country, and it was only by accident that we even found the animals in the last photo. We took a side road to turn around instead of trying to make a left turn on a busy road, and there they were at the end. I think they were my favorite part.

Having a farm with sheep and chickens and a big ol’ garden has been a dream of mine for a while now, so I always love driving around them when we go out. We live in a pretty farm-based area, with little bits of urban life scattered about, and I definitely appreciate the combination of environments. It has both beauty and convenience. Of course, it’s not exactly financially viable for us yet, but I still like to dream and do what I can, planning my garden for the new house and thinking about where I’d like to end up someday.

This wasn’t the post I had planned for today, but it’s definitely one I enjoyed experiencing, and sometimes it’s nice just to do a personal little unplanned post.

Reflections On My First Rejection

The response to my poetry submissions came surprisingly quickly, late last Monday night, only about a week after I had sent them. I was pretty excited when I saw the email pop up on my laptop, not because I assumed they’d be accepted, though of course I hoped they would, but because they were my first submissions. It was the first time I had sent my work out for someone else to make the publishing decision.

And as you can tell by the title of this post, I was totally rejected.

There was this nagging feeling inside me that wanted to cry, but there was another part of me that just shrugged it off and didn’t let the tears come out because it knew they weren’t really necessary and they weren’t going to fix anything. I had a stronger urge to push onward than to cry about it, so that is exactly what I did when I sent my poems to another journal last week, as well as sending out a short story–because moving on is all I can really do. Continuing to create and write and submit, submit, submit, either until something is accepted or I decide to publish on my own. Obviously I’m all about DIY publishing with my zines, but it’s a different experience to try going the traditional route too, and I can’t help but give it a shot, at least for a bit.

I didn’t cry, and the feeling that I needed to passed in about ten to fifteen minutes anyway. Instead, I jumped right into trying again, and I think that’s just another clue that this is exactly what I want and need: there’s an understanding in my brain and my heart of how this process works and how to approach it; it’s natural, embedded in my DNA.

Writing is exactly what I’m meant to be doing as much and as often as possible.