It’s Friday; I’m in Love #60

Oh. Hey. How was your week? My week was pretty awesome. I read. I went to work. I did some knitting. Oh, yeah–and I MET RAINBOW ROWELL. YEAH. I DID THAT. It was pretty amazing. It kind of guided me through the whole week, the wonderful memory of listening to her talk and getting a picture and everything. She was so funny to listen to, and I feel like she’s someone who would be so fun to just have a conversation with, one on one. She’s pretty wonderful. The only problem now is that my mom refuses to borrow my copy of Landline to read it because it’s been signed, so I might have to buy her a copy like I did with The Fault in Our Stars, since she wouldn’t borrow that one either.

The rest is true, too, though–I did start knitting my first pair of socks, which are going slowly but only because I haven’t been working on them. I’ve also been working on reading the library books I have left, finishing The Diviners last night and then starting Ready Player One. I kind of can’t wait to finish Ready Player One since my copy of Caveworld arrived this week and I’m dying to read it. The cover alone is fantastic, but I also really enjoy Adam Gnade’s writing, so I’m pretty pumped to read a novel of his.

And, of course, I’ve been passing the Wonderlust submissions call around the internet. I’ve gotten a lot of good response; now I’m just waiting for some pieces to come in. I’m really impatient about it because I’m so excited to put it together, but since I don’t plan to put it out until December anyway, I should probably learn to calm my socks.

The Country Grind ♥ long afternoons reading on the couch with one of the animals ♥ goofy pictures with Lexi ♥ homemade chicken pot pie, even if it’s not perfect ♥ October is coming! ♥ celebrating Dan’s birthday last weekend ♥ browsing eBay for TV box sets ♥ naps ♥ ’tis the season for knitting ♥ Cassey Ho ♥ browsing around for a new laptop (eventually) ♥ “The Addams Family” ♥ forever thinking about future tattoos

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“It’s Friday; I’m in Love” is a (mostly) weekly gratitude post. It aims to remind myself and others of the good things from the past week, big and small; to share ways to make the next week a positive one; and to serve as a record to look back on for the not-so-great days to come. The title comes from the song by The Cure.

It’s Friday; I’m in Love #57

For some reason, even though I had Monday off from work, this week felt almost unbearably long. I was so thankful it was Friday when I woke up this morning. Still, when I wasn’t at work, the week was great for the most part. Last night, Dan and I went to the parade on Main Street, which announced the beginning of the county fair. I’m not sure if we’re going tonight or tomorrow, but I’m itching to see all the animals and agricultural displays–not to mention chow down on junk food. (Fried Snickers, here I come!)

I’ve also been working super duper hard on my new zine, just like I’d planned, and I’m maybe a third of the way done so far. I try to write about 700-1000 words a day for it, and for the most part I’ve stayed on track. I’m just hoping I don’t lose all the motivation and inspiration I’ve been feeling lately. The nice thing is that it’s now the weekend, which means I can stay up late working if I want to, which, let’s be real, I always want to stay up late to work; I’m more creatively productive that way.

marathon watching Say Yes to the Dress on Netflix ♥ getting a new houseplant for the living room ♥ the Blogilates SepTONEber calendar + waiting for my fit journal to arrive (jk, I hate waiting) ♥ going to bed early and sleeping well ♥ berry-banana smoothies ♥ Fiterazzi (are you seeing a theme this week? I’m back in the fitness game!) ♥ sleeping animals ♥ Etiquette & Espionage for this month’s NovelTea book club pick ♥ trying on my first wedding dresses, even if they were so not my style ♥ rearranging some of the rooms a bit + thinking about how we’re going to redo them ♥ planning  new knitting projects

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“It’s Friday; I’m in Love” is a (mostly) weekly gratitude post. It aims to remind myself and others of the good things from the past week, big and small; to share ways to make the next week a positive one; and to serve as a record to look back on for the not-so-great days to come. The title comes from the song by The Cure.

It’s Friday; I’m in Love #55

There’s not much to report on this week; I’ve spent most of my free time either reading or sleeping in my attempt at Bout of Books. I’m kind of behind on my goal right now, but I’m hoping the weekend will give me a chance to catch up a bit. I guess my potentially fatal mistake was to include a Stephen King book, right? But it was a fantastic read, so I’m not upset about it.

Also, on the creepy news front, Dan spent the weekend working in our attics (we have two; it’s weird) to add ventilation before getting the house insulated. Saturday was spent listening to the dog bark at all the noises coming from upstairs while Dan banged around and put a vent in the attic of the addition, along with a big hole in the bedroom wall. Sunday went a little smoother, with the dog being quieter than the day before and Dan having a better clue what he was doing. I decided to spend the day in bed lounging around, so I watched him climb up into the original attic from the hallway. Not five minutes later, his legs poked out and he climbed back down…with a giant Ouija board in his hands. It was the only thing in the attic. We don’t know whose it was or where it came from. It was just there. Sadly, there was no planchette to go with it. But I’m thinking about hanging it up in the living room as decoration (to which my dad responded, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”).

Stephen King ♥ “Psych” ♥ homemade chili ♥ dog kisses when they come and visit the store ♥ finally setting a wedding date + getting to plan a little more intensely based off of that ♥ ordering Dan’s birthday presents ♥ mall plans for next week ♥ cool, rainy days when I can wear layers ♥ our new blender, even if the dog hates it ♥ slowly getting back into my exercise routine after an unintentional week or so off

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“It’s Friday; I’m in Love” is a (mostly) weekly gratitude post. It aims to remind myself and others of the good things from the past week, big and small; to share ways to make the next week a positive one; and to serve as a record to look back on for the not-so-great days to come. The title comes from the song by The Cure.

It’s Friday; I’m in Love #54

I suppose the first (and most) positive detail of the week that I should share is the fact that Dan and I got engaged. He asked me after Boston Comic-Con, while we were at a park in Boston by the ocean–and also about two minutes after the words, “Ew…a wedding,” came out of my mouth. But that was only because I was hot and tired after hours at Comic-Con, not because I’m actually grumpy about weddings or anything. In general, I’m pretty nonchalant about weddings; they’re fun when I’m invited, but I don’t go to many, so they’re not on my mind often. Ours is still pretty far away, especially since we have yet to set a date, but I’m excited nonetheless, and I’m already starting on planning. I picked up a couple of magazines to browse through and ordered a wedding themed Smash Book, so at least I have a new hobby/project to work on for a while.

The other big plus to my week was my new tattoo! I think I’ve only mentioned once before how much I love Green Day, but let me tell you: it’s (clearly) quite a bit. A few weeks ago, while Dan was gone for the weekend, I sat around watching some old concert DVDs and was struck by the need–the absolutely dire need— for a Green Day tattoo, so I took myself to the tattoo shop downtown and made an appointment. I was very proud because the whole trip was outside of my comfort zone, with meeting new people and driving at a non-routine time of day. I feel like this one was more painful than my first two, which is odd because it’s on a much softer spot, but my theory is that it was simply because it’s bigger than the others. Now I’m working on saving up for my next one, which will probably be on the back of my other arm.

cat cuddles when I’m feeling down ♥ weather that can accurately be called “chilly” ♥ Landline, which I plan to write about next week ♥ egg salad sandwiches ♥ looking forward to getting new tires on my car ♥ naps ♥ mail from pen pal friends ♥ another week of (mostly) home-cooked meals, especially roasted potatoes ♥ two new poem ideas ♥ our new full-length mirror ♥ the matching freckles on the backs of my arms ♥ going to dinner with Chris and declaring him “the man,” rather than the best man because Dan has no other friends ♥ also, Chris’s excitement over our engagement; it’s oddly adorable

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“It’s Friday; I’m in Love” is a (mostly) weekly gratitude post. It aims to remind myself and others of the good things from the past week, big and small; to share ways to make the next week a positive one; and to serve as a record to look back on for the not-so-great days to come. The title comes from the song by The Cure.

It’s Friday; I’m in Love #53

Even though, for some reason, I just wasn’t feeling it this week (whatever “it” is), I feel like it was a really good week. I was struck with some excellent poetry inspiration Tuesday night while I was trying to sleep, and I’m thankful for the little notepad app on my phone since I didn’t have an actual notebook near the bed at the moment. I treated myself to a bookstore trip. I made a load of delicious foods, some of which were pretty suspicious at first–Dan was very hesitant about capers in our chicken, but it turned out wonderfully–and all of which left me feeling accomplished and full.

Overall, it was a simple, satisfying week.

working on a new zine ♥ shopping locally for books ♥ Food Network ♥ a week full of homemade foods, especially chocolate cream pie from The Joy of Cooking ♥ Rainbow Rowell ♥ thinking about zines + what to do next with mine ♥ making responsible choices (most of the time) ♥ cool stickers in the tip box at work ♥ Goodwill ♥ hummus ♥ vscocam, which I’m pretty sure I use way too much ♥ momentum ♥ Sleater-Kinney ♥ “Xena: Warrior Princess”

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“It’s Friday; I’m in Love” is a (mostly) weekly gratitude post. It aims to remind myself and others of the good things from the past week, big and small; to share ways to make the next week a positive one; and to serve as a record to look back on for the not-so-great days to come. The title comes from the song by The Cure.

It’s Friday; I’m in Love #50

I got a very nice prose poem finished this week, which I’m very happy about because I didn’t just do a draft and then move onto another one. I actually went through revisions and got a few people’s opinions on it. I’ll probably look over it again a few more times before filing it away in a “finished” folder, but I’m quite pleased with it so far. Multiple drafts always make me feel more productive.

I also bought a few new workout clothes from Target (two pairs of cropped sweatpants, a tank top, and Dan bought me a new sports bra–my first in four years). For the past five days, I’ve managed to do the Blogilates beginner calendar workout, and I’ve actually been enjoying myself. Of course, that’s not to say I’m not looking forward to my rest day on Sunday, but it’s yet another thing on the list this week that’s made me feel like I’ve accomplished something.

Also, I got my awesome new Sailor Senshi bag from HUMAN and it’s everything I could hope for. It’s the perfect size, feels sturdy, and has nice long straps, so it doesn’t feel like the bag is crowding into my armpit like some other tote bags do. In all, I’m kind of itching to make another order from them soon. (I’m dying for this Sailor Jupiter tank.)

leaving work early a few days this week ♥ Hold Me Closer, Necromancer ♥ naps ♥ good workouts ♥ actually getting to drive my car to work ♥ Fables vol. 1 ♥ Green Day, always ♥ TMNT undies ♥ vanilla soft serve with rainbow sprinkles ♥ cool mornings, when the humidity has finally broken and I don’t sweat just by existing ♥ compliments on my writing from people whose own work I admire ♥ thinking about tattoos, all day every day ♥ being punk in a totally unpunk way and not even caring anymore

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“It’s Friday; I’m in Love” is a (mostly) weekly gratitude post. It aims to remind myself and others of the good things from the past week, big and small; to share ways to make the next week a positive one; and to serve as a record to look back on for the not-so-great days to come. The title comes from the song by The Cure.

It’s Friday; I’m in Love #33

For the past week or two I’ve gotten a little taste of my dream life, consistently working on writing projects and spending most of my free time otherwise reading. I’ve seriously cut down my internet use (though I could stand to do so even more) and have felt more productive overall. The sad thing, though, is I know that this can’t last because I still have student loans to pay for some time, which means any day now I’ll find a job and this nice little routine is going to get uprooted. Still, I’m enjoying it while it lasts and trying to remain positive that someday I’ll be able to do everything I have been lately, but also get paid for it.

#fmsphotoaday ♥ Shailene Woodley ♥ somehow managing to drink two liters of water every day this week ♥ devouring a stack of library books ♥ breaking 10,000 words on the book I’m working on ♥ Cuties ♥ going through stuff in the apartment and deciding what we can sell on Craigslist or save for a yard sale after we move ♥ going with the flow ♥ Jimmy Fallon YouTube video mini marathons ♥ so many homemade pizzas ♥ keeping the apartment clean pretty consistently ♥ brownies

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“It’s Friday; I’m in Love” is a (mostly) weekly gratitude post. It aims to remind myself and others of the good things from the past week, big and small; to share ways to make the next week a positive one; and to serve as a record to look back on for the not-so-great days to come. The title comes from the song by The Cure.

Measuring Up: Embracing How Your Writing Habits Compare to Others

Raise your hand if you had a weekend full of existential crises during which you questioned the validity of your artistic identity.

*raises hand*

Not that my whole weekend was spent wallowing and procrastinating because I didn’t feel creative enough or whatever; in fact I came up with a more solid yet flexible writing schedule for myself and managed to follow it very nicely. But at night I would keep going to bed thinking about the writing habits of others and wonder if my own make me sound frivolous or as if I’m not serious enough.

My current schedule (goals, benchmarks, whatever) are:

• 1,000 words (minimum) on weekdays
• 500 words (minimum) on weekend days
• One poem a weekday, taking weekends to revise the previous week’s best

I wake up whenever I want, usually between nine and ten, and work as long as it takes me to get to my word count (which applies across the board to whatever project I’m working on for the day: short story, novel, creative nonfiction). Sometimes I finish before my noon internet allowance, sometimes I don’t, in which case it can sometimes take even longer. But since it’s all I do most days right now, I don’t pressure myself or feel rushed.

But I hear so much about people (artists, writers) writing at least twice as much as I do on a given day or working a full eight hours like your typical nine-to-five, and of course that starts to make me feel inadequate: Am I not putting as much into this as I should to be considered “serious”? Am I slacking? Should I be working harder if I want to be successful? (Never mind the discussion of what success even means to me at the moment.)

However, I’ve realized that it’s not just about numbers. There are so many factors that go into how a person uses their work time. It’s about knowing how much your mind and body can take; my brain feels so fried after a day of writing the bare minimum sometimes. It’s about acknowledging each project, not just the big one; even after I do my word goal for a day and my poem, I usually spend time on a blog post, a zine piece, or working on prepping for submissions. I think I forget that these things count because I don’t focus on word count and spent hours when I’m blogging or putting together a zine.

Certainly being a writer is first and foremost about the actual writing (and reading), but that’s just not all that goes into it and it isn’t all the typical story/poetry writing. It dawned on me that I need to stop belittling non-traditional writing projects as insignificant because in reality they can actually “boost my cred,” as those crazy kids say these days.

Basically: I need to learn to be easier on myself, more accepting, and more open-minded toward my personal process and projects. I need to remember to embrace the non-traditional and to give myself the credit I deserve. And stop comparing myself to everyone else!

P.S., You’ve probably noticed that pink pen hanging around a lot, especially if you follow me on Instagram. I’ve kind of fallen in love with it as far as pens go and have a total of six floating between the living room, office, and bedroom right now. It’s a Pentel EnerGel, and I guess it’s a special breast cancer one, but I just like how pink it is, plus the flowing consistency of the ink–very good for quick writing.

It’s Friday; I’m in Love #31

Don’t I have such a friendly-looking cat? No? Yeah, you’re right; he looks like a jerk. And sometimes he is, but sometimes he’s the sweetest ball of fur who likes to steal Cheez-Its straight out of my hand.

My week was wonderful! Mostly. I’ve gotten a fair amount of writing done–blog posts, poems, and a handful of journaling–and that is always a positive. I’d say getting a lot of writing done always makes me feel the most productive. I’ve chosen one journal to submit some poems when their submissions opens back up, and I’m trying to be in somewhat of a daily routine of writing poems every day. Sometimes I miss a day or two, but it’s mostly because I’ll end up doing other writing that day.

We’ve also been getting more and more excited about our new house, and we may have bought a new TV stand because we found the perfect one, even though we’re just going to have to move it again in a few months. Oh well! For $10, it was absolutely worth it. Plus I stumbled upon that lovely mug above for 25 cents, so it was a wonderful thrift trip. I’m excited to get more things for the house after we move because we’ll be moving in right at the start of yard sale season, so we’ll be able to sell some of our old junk so we can buy new old junk from other people. Plus I get to spend all kinds of time thinking about how to decorate and sending Dan pictures of decor/home styles I like.

“Breakfast Club” by Z-Trip ♥ productive Goodwill trips ♥ late-night cleaning + baking fests ♥ organizing the apartment, even if we’re going to move out in a few months (!!!) ♥ moving my zines into a new storage spot ♥ getting the chance to speak + read some of my writing in one of my college writing professor’s classes ♥ finally watching “Penelope” (Christina Ricci is a major crush of mine) ♥ choosing poems for the county competition + having a revision marathon ♥ “@Midnight” ♥ going to a Welcome to Night Vale live show tomorrow night

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“It’s Friday; I’m in Love” is a (mostly) weekly gratitude post. It aims to remind myself and others of the good things from the past week, big and small; to share ways to make the next week a positive one; and to serve as a record to look back on for the not-so-great days to come. The title comes from the song by The Cure.

It’s Friday; I’m in Love #26

These two photos pretty accurately capture the past week. It’s been nothing but writing, job applications, and submissions, and I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve typed up the majority of my new zine–scheduled to be finished next week–worked on poetry, and written down every little thing in my Filofax (in part just to make it look like I’m busy, though it turns out I have been). It’s amazing how much my mood improves when I, y’know, do the things I love and want to focus my life around.

One thing I’ve been working to avoid, though, is negativity. Not toward myself, but others. I’ve been feeling snarky all week, and as ridiculous as people can be sometimes, they don’t necessarily deserve that. I don’t leave mean blog comments or anything, but I’ve been making snide little remarks to myself, which don’t help anyone, so they’re simply unnecessary–no matter how fun they might feel at the moment.

pecan turtle brownies ♥ working on blog posts weeks ahead of time ♥ vscocam–love the filters better than instagram, at least for now ♥ browsing houses online ♥ pancakes ♥ new babies (not  mine) ♥ rearranging the top of my dresser ♥ work, even if it’s temporary ♥ new pens ♥ finding bits of pink leftover in my hair ♥ bees ♥ contentment ♥ reading on the couch with the cat on my lap ♥ mugs of tea while working at my desk

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“It’s Friday; I’m in Love” is a (mostly) weekly gratitude post. It aims to remind myself and others of the good things from the past week, big and small; to share ways to make the next week a positive one; and to serve as a record to look back on for the not-so-great days to come. The title comes from the song by The Cure.