Taking Stock

This post has been a long time in coming. (I'm sure we'll all be sad to see Harry's face leave the masthead, but it must be done.)

In the past few months, so much has happened in my life--weddings, birthdays, a funeral, and travel travel travel--that every time I come here to write about it, there's too much to share. I don't know where to start.

There was the amazing trip to Greece in September (Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, and Crete. Le sigh.). My grandma's sudden and unexpected passing. A best friend's 30th birthday spent in a treehouse hotel. A January luau-themed surprise party in celebration of my mom's 50th. My darling niece's 1st birthday. My father-in-law's re-marriage, as well as a best friend's wedding. When you put it all together, I spent over seven weeks away from home in the last eight months. (Don't get me started on the nine-hour drive home. Ugh.)

And on top of all that, I fell off the blogwagon last summer when I suffered the worst migraine period of my life--having migraines three weeks out of every month from about May to September.

I began this blog to reach out to other writers and to talk about my own writing journey, but with my current focus on finding an agent (and my reluctance to discuss that publicly on the interwebs) I'm finding it hard to think about anything else. (Suffice it to say, it has been both encouraging and discouraging all in one, and I've never checked my email more!)

The reason all this has been on my mind? This is the last week of my twenties(!), and I feel I ought to take stock of my life to date. There are so many things I'm proud to have done in my twenties--finishing college (and more recently, paying it off), writing (and rewriting and rewriting) my novel, running a marathon, skydiving, training my cute puppy into a (mostly) well-behaved dog, traveling abroad alone, getting a tattoo--but there is so much more I want to do and accomplish in the next decade. I'm starting off my thirties with another adventure--friends and family are joining me on a bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge, something I've wanted to do since we moved here seven years ago. I'm also working my butt off toward my biggest goal--making my novel the best it can be (even if that means more revision) and securing an agent. And this summer, husband and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary (yes, we married young) and commemorate it with a return to England, my favorite place to travel.

So in sum, hello again. (*waves*) I will try to check in more frequently with what's certain to be an interesting year. Oh, and HUZZAH to 30!

Shaping Up

This blog needs a good exercise plan. Perhaps Jillian Michaels could put it on the 30-Day Shred and give it a nice kick in the bum? It sits here, gathering dust, with only the occasional post, but no longer--it's time for a shape up!

The past year I've worked hard to get back into running shape. I struggled for a few years to get my thyroid under control, and during that time I couldn't maintain the energy to run, but now I'm energized and more grateful than ever that I'm able to hit the pavement. I run every other day, and I've worked up my mileage to train for a half marathon in June. It's been almost five years (!) since I ran the marathon, and it's about time I did another long race. However, when I manage to improve one part of my life, I seem to lag in another...

In my last post--way, way back, over a month ago--I mentioned my bout of homesickness. The truth is I started writing that post three weeks before I published it. I couldn't find the right words. Ironically, I finally managed to communicate my thoughts on the subject while home on a visit. I caved and went home for a week to spend time with my family; I also used it as a personal/writing retreat. I took a 'break' from running over the holidays, which extended a bit further than I meant it to, and I was finding the final novel revisions excruciating. The trip home worked: I managed to get in some refreshing runs by my lovely Deschutes River, and I spent time reading my manuscript and making progress on changes. (I also visited my favorite restaurants and coffeeshops, which may have counteracted the running, but it was well worth it!)

I'm still battling the revision demons, so by the time I start to write a post, all my energy is used up. I have ideas, but when I sit down at the laptop - POOF - all gone. Last week I received a wonderful award from the lovely JJ at Tea Stains, which made me feel particularly undeserving because it is The Prolific Blogger Award. I hung my head in shame for a moment at how unprolific my blog has become of late, but then I decided to buck up and get to work. I've been writing this blog for over four years--and I'm nearing the 400 post mark!--so it's only natural for my motivation to come and go. However, I can't let that stop me. When I write, run, and blog regularly, I feel in balance. My life has been out of balance for ages, and it's time I began a training plan, like I did with running. Baby steps for now, but expect to see me around more often. Besides, an Angie training plan can't be nearly as painful as the 30-Day Shred, right?

Auntie on Hiatus

I should have announced an official hiatus since I've neglected this blog so much. I've been away. For the past three weeks I've been home in Oregon or traveling up to Washington with my sisters.

But.

I'm an auntie!
Little--or rather big (she was 9lb 1oz!)--Jacey Liliana was born on the 26th, and I've had the best time hanging out with her. Sadly, I'm going home tomorrow, and my sister and brother in law moved today, so I won't see her again until October. Sometimes being an auntie is hard work!

Offline

I'm a bad blogger. I keep meaning to post writing updates; I often have random ideas and think, "Hey, that would be a good post." But I don't get around to it.

We entered our 'busy season' early last month, and I'm trying to keep my head above water. We made it through the spring birthday season (Husband and I, plus two parents, a grandma, a brother-in-law, and numerous friends) and mother's day. On the writing front, I submitted short pieces to four separate journals and attended two events in San Francisco by the HCNC for my research. (At the second event I chaperoned a survivor, which was an honor and a great experience. A story I wanted to share, but alas, the moment is gone.)

But soon we enter the real pandemonium.

In three weeks we're heading home for a long weekend, which will include sister C's 18th birthday, sister A's baby shower (which I'm helping to plan), a graduation and graduation party. When we return, we have a wedding and baby shower the same afternoon. July brings my baby niece, a wedding and sister B's birthday (on the same day, incidentally), as well as my ten-year school reunion, which I may or may not attend.

For some reason I thought this would finally be our quiet summer. Ha!

On top of all that, Husband and I devised a new work schedule for me. I was struggling with my edits, so he created a goal-oriented incentive program to keep me on track. I work well on a deadline. My aggressive goal is to finish this revision by the end of May. (For which I will receive a nice dinner, a pair of shoes, AND a new outfit!) If I reach this goal, I will have revised over 130 pages in May. Suffice it to say, I have not slept much the past two weeks.

All of this is to tell you I am sorry for being a bad blogger, and I promise to return to some kind of regular schedule after I finish this draft. Also, I have not forgotten my pay-it-forward recipients. I am almost finished with the gifts and will have them in the mail shortly! I'm signing off for now, but hope to see everyone in blogland again soon.

p.s.

I'm finalizing my gifts for the Pay It Forward participants and I still have one spot open. I would love it if three people participated. All you have to do is repay the gift to three new people on your own blog. If you'd like to join, leave a comment and send me an email with your mailing address (and favorite color). Don't be shy, it's fun!

Rattled

Headlines have been dire. In the bay area alone there were four police officers killed last week, followed by another family murder-suicide this week. (Not to mention the surge in violence across the country or the ever-present economic woes.) Today I experienced my third minor quake! Imagine a giant stomping on the floor above you whilst moving giant-sized furniture, because that's how it felt.

Amongst all the bad news lately, I've found solace in a book. Where else? I just finished reading Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

I adored it!

It was a beautiful, heartfelt story of family and first love. As the title suggests, the story is bittersweet, but although it's heartbreaking, it's ultimately redemptive. Ford paints a picture of life in WWII-era Seattle and touches on the tragedy of the Japanese internment camps as well as the rampant prejudice and discrimination during that time. He handles these difficult topics delicately and captures a pivotal moment in American history. The underlying story of Seattle's jazz movement adds depth and breathes life into a little-known world.

Jamie Ford is a writer to watch. Grab a copy of the book; you won't regret it!

Finally, I have two people signed up for the Pay It Forward gesture. There's an opening for one more. Go on, you know you want to join...

Pay It Forward

Back in January JJ over at Tea Stains was involved in a Pay It Forward gesture. She received a gift and was offering to pay that act of kindness forward to three people. I joined in because I love receiving packages and thought it was a neat idea. When I arrived home from Maui (more on that later), I received a lovely package from Thailand containing a writing notebook, a traditional Thai embroidered purse, a silver necklace made in the Karen Hill tribes, and a cute orange elephant.JJ is wonderful and I love everything!

I am now appealing for three people who’d like to receive a gift from me. You’ll owe me nothing. If you join you only have to agree to pay it forward, link back to me, and blog about it. What you send is up to you. The gifts don’t have to cost much--and can in fact be handmade--but should be fun, inspiring or uplifting.

Like JJ, I’m happy to send the package anywhere in the world. If you’d like to be one of three recipients for my Pay it Forward, then please leave a message in the comments. The first three to indicate that they’d like to join in will be the winners. And then I’ll need your postal addresses.

Best of luck!

Friendship

Lovely Alix of Marmite and Tea gave me this Friendship Award, which made my day:I can't imagine a prettier award.

Since it cheered me so much, I want to pass it along to a few of my special blogfriends.

JJ over at Tea Stains is a wonderfully supportive fellow writer and tea lover. Sending you pretty teacups for the perfect cuppa PG Tips (my fave too), JJ.

Yvonne over at It Had Better Be Good is a kindred writing soul whose sheer determination and upbeat spirit always inspire me.

Caroline of In Search of Adam fame, writes a popular blog and lovely books, but is always generous with her time and encouragement to new writers.

Hullaballoo over at Hullabrouhaha always cheers me with her sunny and cheeky posts. Hope these pretty teacups add to her new places in blogland and Scotterland.

Lane over at Lane's Write first caught my attention with her cleverly named blog. Her posts always make me giggle, and she is a supportive writerly friend. These teacups should fit well with her little teacup family.

Lifting my cuppa up to these lovely blog friends, whose friendship I greatly appreciate, as well as the many others I didn't mention. Cheers!

All's Quiet on the Blogging Front

...as I wage a one-woman battle with myself.

Last November, I finally found a schedule that worked for me, and it allowed me to get into my writing groove. Since I finished the first draft, I've struggled to find a new schedule that accommodates my new tasks of draft typing and editing.

It shouldn't be this hard, I think to myself, I'm only typing and tinkering with words. Yet I realize the main stumbling block is my fear of facing my writing. (What if it's horrible?) I started work on chapter three enthusiastically enough, but soon I found any reason to distract myself.

I need to read my email first.
I have to keep up on the news as an informed citizen: just one more article and then I'll start.
I wonder what my blogging friends are up to?

No matter how much I recognize my finely-honed diversion tactics, I can't seem to stop using them. (Hmm, I wonder whether writing this post counts as one?) When I continually fail to stop procrastinating, I become depressed with myself. Yesterday I told myself that if I were my boss, I'd fire me (then I thought, how mean!).

Once I become frustrated with myself, I inevitably begin to look for jobs again. If I cannot do this, then I need to get back out there to be a productive member of society. I've been discussing the problem all week with Husband, but last night I finally had a breakthrough after nearly applying for a position.

I devised a schedule solution similar to my old own, but which fits better with my new tasks. Today I wrote it down on a goal sheet on my desktop to remind myself. My novel writing class starts soon--it was supposed to start today, but was postponed two weeks--and I know I won't get much, if any, writing done if I start a new job. I decided to start the new daily schedule with the allowance that I will not look for jobs until my novel writing class ends in September, and if at that point I have accomplished nothing, then it's time to throw in the towel. (Very clever, if I do say so myself. Of course I'll accomplish something in 3 months with a schedule and an intense class. Apparently I have to keep using fear tactics in order to get things done. Hmph. I won't even mention the effect of my ten-year reunion next summer...)

So. As of now, I am beginning anew. No beating myself up for my struggles over the past few weeks. I will be type, type, typing in the morning and editing in the afternoon, with a little time set aside to finalize my research.

Time to jump back into the deep end.

A (Jet)Lagging Homecoming

I arrived home for the second time in one week on Sunday evening. Husband's best friend and his wife had their first child while I was traveling, and we wanted to see little Adam William before he grew too big. He was a precious, tiny little thing. So far they are lucky: he doesn't cry much, and he's quite the little snuggler with cute puckering lips.

Last Tuesday evening, I arrived home 23 hours after I began my travels in Prague. Everything went smoothly, but I was stuck with a 7.5 hour layover in Munich, so it made for a long day. Husband picked me up from the airport with a sweet little kiss, but I think Drew missed me more because he howled on my lap for a full five minutes when I arrived home. It's been over a week, but still he doesn't like to leave my side.

I want to thank everyone for the thoughtful comments left while I was gone. Even though I didn't respond, they kept my spirits up during my down moments, and made me laugh as well. I'm still attempting to get back into the swing of things, which is why I haven't blogged since my trip, but at the same time I'm trying to wrap my mind around all the ideas and experiences I had while traveling.

I may post a few pictures and stories over the next few weeks as I continue to settle back into normal life, whatever that is. We have a few birthdays coming up (including husband's and mine) and two more trips over the next month, so I'm just hoping to keep up. However, I surpassed the 90% mark today, so I'm well on my way to finishing this draft in April! Hurrah!

Excellence

Fabulous JJ has awarded my blog an E for Excellence! How lovely of her. My Monday feels brighter already.
I can nominate ten new people to receive the award, but I see many of my favorites have already received it, so I will pass it along to five who may not have it yet:

Alix, Caroline, Helen, Hullaballoo, Lucy Diamond


Speaking of excellence, the paperback of lovely Caroline's book In Search of Adam was released Friday in the UK. And look! I found Adam in Silicon Valley: (And the lovely boy helped me with the shopping after he was discovered. How nice of him.)

Drew also found Adam...


(In Search of Adam is not yet available in stores stateside, but check Caroline's site for information on how to obtain a copy online...I've been dying to read it so I'm planning to snag mine while vacationing this spring, but more on that later.)

Blue Monday?

Yesterday was supposed to be the worst day of the year. What do you reckon, did it live up to all the hype? Today sure started off with a crash, so to speak, with the stock market continuing to drop and the delayed action of the fed slashing interest rates. I don't know if yesterday was the worst day of the year for me--there have only been 21 so far--but I certainly felt under the weather literally (it's quite drippy here) and figuratively. I know the quality of my blog has been suffering of late due to my somewhat exhausted and uninspired mood. I exert most of my energy during the day attempting to get words onto paper, and by the end of the day all I feel up for is a session in front of the TV, which by the way, has been playing nothing but the Australian Open lately. (For Christmas I gave husband a Tivo--he loves tennis but always misses the majors because they play at odd hours here, so now he's recording every match and watching endless tennis. He even enjoys watching the boring matches in fast forward. I like tennis, but I'm ready for the finals already! I did use the Tivo to squeeze in two Jane Austen adaptations this weekend since PBS is airing the complete Jane Austen.) Anyway, back to blue and drippy Mondays. This weekend I found out my grandma was admitted to the hospital for elevated blood pressure and heart problems--she's a long-long term smoker with a history of heart and lung disease, unfortunately. After that, Monday didn't seem quite so bad, though I'm about ready to take a sick day just to catch up on rest!
In an attempt to cheer up, I'm making some small visual changes to the blog just for fun, and I also wanted to share a website a friend recently introduced to me. It's called Good Reads and it's like myspace/facebook for readers. You can share the books you've read, are reading, or are planning to read and give reviews, share quotes and view the books that friends recommend. Anyone that fancies a look can check out my books on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/profile/angielondon

Vertical Drew

It seems my vertical picture-posting problem is related more to my use of iPhoto than to my own handicap. I don't have internet access on the PC right now (due to laziness and a broken wireless card), but I always used Picasa on the PC, so I tested whether using an image from Picasa saved onto a disk and then uploaded would work, and aha(!), it did:
Above Left: Drew is tired out from all the package-opening and playing on Christmas. Above Right: Drew feigning modesty on our sunshiny walk. Right: Drew's Christmas attire. (I'm not sure he likes the chinstrap from the Santa hat!)

You poor people are going to be inundated with pictures now! Mwah ha ha.

To send or not to send

Christmas cards.

Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas, and I like letting friends and family know that I'm thinking about them at the holidays. Yet, I feel guilted into sending cards to the 'obligation list' of people too. You know the ones: the people you don't talk to any other time of year, but have some tenuous connection with. I decided to opt out this year and avoid all that, but husband changed his mind last minute and decided we should send them, which as usual meant that I should write and send them. Men! Ugh. Luckily I knocked it out in one blow while watching House. Not bad. (I admit, I did make him lick the envelopes. I despise licking envelopes. Ick.) I also finished chapter 6 yesterday. Hurrah! (Finally! Sheesh that chapter ended up long...)

Things have been a little crazy around here, so I'll probably be lying low until after the holidays, though I reserve the right to check in if I have an itching desire to share some random thoughts with you.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and all that!

NaBloPoMo Wrapped

Today is the last day of NaBloPoMo, and I accomplished my goal of posting every single day for the month, even while vacationing. But now I'm blogged out. I also began my new novel-writing plan at the beginning of November, and I've stuck to it, so I think my writing brain cells are fried. I may take a mini blog break this next month. I'll continue to post when I have inspiration, and I'll continue to update my wordcounter, but I plan to focus on a few other things: writing my novel, catching up on blog and novel reading, and preparing for Christmas. I hope everyone enjoyed the daily posting, and I didn't overwhelm you with my random nonsense.

Ciao (for now).

Interruptions

I cannot keep up with reading blogs lately what with the improvement in my novel writing (yay!) and my commitment to blog every day for NaBloPoMo. I'm not complaining about the improvement in my own writing - it's amazing to finally have real progress - but I miss my daily reading. I have been stopping by to check in on people, but I'm terminally behind on my reading. Tonight we're heading off on the long drive home to Oregon for Thanksgiving, so I'll probably slip even further behind this week. Apologies to my blog buddies, but hopefully I'll get back on track next week.

Oh, and I decided not to pursue the thing I mentioned awhile back. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, so I suppose that means I made the right choice.

Cheers!

Update: We're now leaving at 3am tomorrow morning. Wah wah. The freeways were too congested to leave this evening...

Words written today: 808

Continuous blogging (or is it blagging?)

...for 30 days, at least. When I signed up to post every day this month, I forgot that I would be on vacation this weekend, so you should expect some very quick posts from DC. I'm posting on location, don't you feel special? Too bad I can't load the photos from the camera directly to my laptop so you can see pictures. Also, Thanksgiving will be a bit of a stretch. "Excuse me mom, my readers need me to post a blog today...I'll be back for the turkey in one minute." I suppose I can always talk about the tasty pies to make you non-observers jealous. It's the least I can do.

After all that pumpkin carving, we didn't receive one trick or treater last night, which means we're stuck with the two bags of candy I bought for the occasion. Great. (Okay, okay, it's 1.5 bags. Husband reached them before Halloween). Husband is pleased at least.

Words written today: 890

Not for children

Prompted by JJ's post about her blog rating, I went off to check my own. Apparently this blog is rated R for using sex 4x (really?), whore 2x (interesting), and hurt 1x (wtf, why is 'hurt' rated R?). I am very impressed with myself. Or slightly embarrassed. Hard to say.

Lagging

My posts have been lagging the past week, and I haven't been diligently visiting my writing blog friends, but I seem to have more new visitors lately and the only thing that seems to account for it is my recent add over at Author's Blogs. *waves hello to the new people* I hope you enjoy the blog. I'd like to pretend I have something profound to say about the writing experience, but this blog is really just my rants about writing, musings on life, and occasional (or sometimes frequent) discussion of migraines and thyroid issues. But I hope you find it funny and enjoy the read. Speaking of migraines, which I speak of too much, they are the main reason for my disappearance of late, along with husband's flu-like illness.

A recent new visitor to the blog mentioned that he was embarking on a collaborative writing venture with some friends, and I said I would give them a shout-out here. If anyone is interested in writing a chapter for this collaborative story about the end of the world, do visit their website at End of This World. Best of luck to you!

Today I had an enjoyable lunch with old work colleagues, and then I spent a few hours at the library looking for more research books. I found five good books, but they only let me take home three, so the other two are on hold for now. As I've been working on chapter three, I've found that I still have a lot of holes in my research. I'm trying to work to incorporate it into my day: writing in the morning, and when I stall, research in the afternoon. As usual, we'll see how well I keep to the plan.

I thought you should know

I'm going to do something rash.

It's an experiment.

In an attempt to increase productivity.

I'm going to turn of t'internet (for a few hours).

It's for my own good, you know.

But it's scary.

What if I get an important email? Or a blogfriend leaves a nice comment, or, or I miss important breaking news?

Even so, the writing must be done.

And, you know, I can turn it back on in a few.