Sunday, March 29, 2015

Eschew Obfuscation


I've always thought this phrase was hilarious...Ah, vocabulary jokes...

Enjoy your Sunday!

Friday, March 27, 2015

Goodbye, March?? (ROW80)

Um, Excuse me...
 
How is it the end of March AND of this Block of ROW80 already??!
 
 
A quick look back at my ROW80 Goals for the January - March Block:


On the one hand, I feel like I more consistently did the things I wanted.  I stretched and wrote or was creative more often (although not every day).  Read more, got out more.  However, I still only focused on a couple of my goals a week, and was very prone to doing the "bare minimum" to complete those.  I mulled over a few project ideas, but did not really dig into them.  I would also sort of vacillate between blogging three days in a row, or skipping two weeks because I was tired and just wanted to eat or read or watch something, and generally wind down after work.  And it was much easier to focus on my ROW80 blog posts rather than working on writing/photographing material for a post based on crafts.  I majorly put off whatever goals I didn't actually want to get to, but thought I ought to work towards as goals (like finances and decluttering).  I really do revert to the "Avoidance Tactic" a little too much.  It's not like it makes me happier...

So...I think I feel generally positive about this round, but I do wish I had been/would be a little more creative a little more often.  And that I was better at getting the "Must Do" things in life out of the way more quickly, instead of pushing them away until I HAD to give them attention.

Mulling over how I would like to re-vamp my goals for Spring.  Someone mentioned a "Minimum/Maximum" goal chart, like you have a totally doable bare minimum version and an exciting-but-also-possible stretch goal for each topic.  I like this idea, but I also feel, in trying it with exercise, that it would possibly discourage me if I failed to meet too many "Minimums" in a week...

Perhaps also slim-line the goals down a lot, and add one "Do One Thing Less Exciting But Necessary Per Day/Week"?

I hope all of your own ROW80 blocks ended well!  Enjoy the close of your week!

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My JANUARY (5th) - MARCH (26th) ROW80 GOALS:

Part A (Creativity & Social Media)
[x] 1. 1-2 blog posts per week (Ideally: 1 ROW80 post, 1 crafts post).
[~] 2. Do something creative every day.  Doodles still count.
[~] 3. Social Media: Check in with all accounts/communities every week.
[~] 4. Catch up with/update blog & Facebook photo galleries.

Part B (Catching up with life):
[~] 1. Exercise--Ideal goal: 3x3x3 (3 sets of 3 exercises for 3+ days). 
[x] Bare minimum: 1 set of stretches.  Get outside on weekends.

[~] 2. Get my finances in order.  Also, address insurance, taxes and a new budget ASAP (however vague).
[  ] 3. Declutter and re-organize SOME OFTHE STUFF everywhere.
[86/100] 4. TRY to reach my 100th post in May for the blog's 2-year anniversary).

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Friday, March 20, 2015

Hello, Spring!

Happy March 20th, 2015! 


Today was the first official day of Spring.  It was also the Spring Equinox--the point where sunlight and daylight are roughly equal, and when Earth's poles are equidistant from the sun's center and therefore "equally illuminated" (thanks, Wikipedia!)  Today also hosted a total Solar Eclipse from some parts of the planet.  What a lot of planetary events for one day!


I hope you enjoy the first weekend of Spring!

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P.S. I just found out that March 20th is ALSO the "International Day of Happiness," as designated by the United Nations.  Why not ponder making a "Happiness Resolution" of your own, to promote your own or others' positivity in the coming year?

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia (ROW80 Check-In)

Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia/Hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian:
(n.) Also known as "Sesquipedalophobia," or "the fear of long words."
From "sesquipedalian": a long word, or a person who uses long words.
 
 
It's Wednesday again, folks!

Time for a quick update on my ROW80 Goals from the past week:

It's been a little cooler the last couple days in Southern California, and we're expecting a little rain again, yay!  The radio is always full of pieces on small towns that are rationing their last drops...Guess we'll just have to see, won't we?

So what's new with me?

Well, I went two weeks without any blog posts, and then this week I'm back to 3 blogs in one week.  I guess I'll just have to figure out how to accommodate this repeating sine-curve of energy and motivation and inspiration levels.

Work is picking up.  I still run out of steam quickly in the evenings, but I have noticed that with the time change, I feel more prone to take care of things around the house when I get home.  Conversely, I'm still waking up at 4:30 in the morning, because my body isn't sure what time I'm supposed to get up anymore, but it knows it's sometime when it's still dark...But I'm still stretching at least once a day, and getting outside for a little exercise and social time on weekends.  Weeded and hauled wheelbarrows of mulch on Saturday, and then met up with some friends for snacks and board games on Sunday.  It was nice to see people.

In other news... I had a stressful Monday, came home, and...I wrote 1 1/2 pages of my story!  This is my NaNoWriMo story that I really liked, and slogged to the finish line with, and then never touched again.  I don't know if I got burned out from November, as some other people have stated, or if it was just that I was (and am still) stuck about how to resolve my central drama.  But this week, I just skipped all of that and wrote another scene from a different part of the story.

So that was exciting!  I've been a bit creative off and on this quarter, drawing doodles and working on a knitting project, and writing this blog, but I hadn't actually ever gone back to my creative writing project.  I'd been feeling more and more guilty about neglecting it.  So we'll see where that goes...I've also learned that I've already forgotten some of my supporting characters' names, whoops!  I still don't know how all of the bits that are not actual scenes can properly fit into the story, but I'm fond of all of them, and I hope I can use them.

If you are curious about my ACTUAL ROW80 goals and their progress, you can peruse them below.

************************************************************************************
My JANUARY (5th) - MARCH (26th) ROW80 GOALS:

Part A (Creativity & Social Media)
[x] 1. 1-2 blog posts per week (Ideally: 1 ROW80 post, 1 crafts post).
[~] 2. Do something creative every day.  Doodles still count.
[~] 3. Social Media: Check in with all accounts/communities every week.
[  ] 4. Catch up with/update blog & Facebook photo galleries.

Part B (Catching up with life):
[~] 1. Exercise--Ideal goal: 3x3x3 (3 sets of 3 exercises for 3+ days). 
[x] Bare minimum: 1 set of stretches.  Get outside on weekends.

[~] 2. Get my finances in order.  Also, address insurance, taxes and a new budget ASAP (however vague).
[  ] 3. Declutter and re-organize SOME OFTHE STUFF everywhere.
[84/100] 4. TRY to reach my 100th post in May for the blog's 2-year anniversary).

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Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Dear Messrs Nimoy & Pratchett

I just wanted to take a moment to mention Terry Pratchett and Leonard Nimoy. 

I've seen a lot of lovely tribute artwork on many sites.  I'd like to take a moment to share a little sketch of my own that I drew last week when I heard about Terry Pratchett.  Terry Pratchett sits in his characteristic black hat, watching the sunrise (or sunset) with two of his characters, Death and Rat Death (Death got lonely, so he let Rat Death coexist with him...it's a long story.  A book, in fact.).  They are joined by Spock, the first face of Lenoard Nimoy that I knew and cherished.

I've followed both of these gentlemen since high school.  Leonard Nimoy's work was mostly in visual media, ranging from "Star Trek" to movies to photography (see  his "Secret Selves" or his "Full Body" photographic series), but he also wrote memoirs and poetry that I read.  Terry Pratchett was a prolific writer whose work I grew to love in college, and I built his words in my head long before I saw some of them adapted into other forms of media.

Nimoy and Pratchett's work reminded me that important topics could be addressed through humor and personal creativity, and through the twisting of familiar mythology and cultural knowledge.  The characters and worlds they created became valued places that I could visit over and over again.

In this age of social media, I suppose it is not surprising that I first heard the news about each of them having died through social media.  Or that their respective social media accounts would be used to announce the news to their followers and fans.  Both of these gentlemen were dealing with prolonged medical issues, but they continued to interact as long as they were able.  I'd like to share the final tweets from their Twitter accounts, because I found both touching while I was processing the news.  Many fans have posted their thoughts and reactions in response to the announcements.

Leonard Nimoy shared some of his poetry, followed by a reflection (Tweets read from oldest on the bottom to the most recent on top):

Terry Pratchett's final posts were not his own.  I believe it was his daughter who shared the news through the voices of "Death" and the narrator of Discworld:
#LiveLongAndProsper

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Happy Pi Day!

Good Morning.

Well, one of the hazards of switching to an early-morning work schedule is that you may naturally wake up at 6:45AM on your weekend. Sigh.

I do love mornings.  They're so quiet and peaceful on those days when you don't need to be anywhere and can have the time to yourself.  But I was up late last night, and I don't like getting up tired and knowing I'll be more tired mid-day when everyone else is starting to get going (and I'm not good at taking naps anymore).

I stayed up until 12:30AM last night, knitting with my roommate.  It was so nice and cool and breezy (and social).  In a couple of hours, it'll be edging back towards 90 degrees, so we've had to learn to take advantage of the cooler hours.  I'm enjoying this cool morning while I can.  I've got a cup of my "Birthday Tea" (a gentle Lavender Early Grey), my first Glazed Cronut (Verdict: Waaaay too sweet, even without the cream filling, but I know that my idealized version of a toasted croissant filled with whipped cream is still out there somewhere...), and a bowl of warm (instant) grits to counter all the sugar.

Happy Pi Day!  Today is 3.14.15 (in the U.S. mode of writing), which makes this the closest to "Pi" that we'll get in awhile (3.14159...).  In honor of this occasion, I'd like to leave you with two photos from one of my mom's visits to SoCal:

The Traditional Slice of Rhubarb Pie With Tea (this picture does not convey how HUGE the pie and the mugs were...):

And an Apple Tart (made by yours truly):
 Enjoy your weekend!

Friday, March 13, 2015

Tiny Steps (ROW80 Goals)

So how have all of you been the last couple weeks? I have been tired and hot, and a little stressed.  We had a couple rainstorms (with GORGEOUS clouds) while the rest of the country was battling snow and freezing rain, and then this week our weather swung right back around to 80-90 degree weather again. We've had to break out the shorts and the fans.  I get overheated and dizzy just driving home from work, yuck.  And I've been waking up too early, in the dark, every morning this week, checking the time because of that old pal, Daylight Saving Time.

We've got less than 2 weeks of this ROW80 period left--crazy!

Reflecting On My ROW80 Goals

In thinking about and re-evaluating my ROW80 goals for this quarter, I have been reviewing some motivational opinions, as well as other ROW80 posters each week.

I have come to a couple conclusions.

1. I am more likely to reach for a goal that is small and easily attainable.  "Bare minimum required" means I'm less likely to talk myself out of pursuing the goal, or just get it over with.  I would like to see a steady increase, but I don't appear to have enough energy to do that right now.  So each week, I seem to choose a couple goals to focus on, and a few chores to get to, and I consider that a win.  I am stretching a little almost every day, and doing something creative MAYBE every 1-2 days, and getting outside to volunteer on weekends.  I have not really addressed big goals relating to the future, or new Life (or Written) Chapters.  Tiny steps.

2. A large list of things to get to is intimidating, even if they really are things I need to or "want to" address.  See the point above.  I will gradually get to the more urgent of each goal set, but I cannot or will not address all 8 goals each and every week.  I will look at the lists, and tweak them where pertinent, but I will not check them all off.  My store of "discipline" or "motivation" is limited, and if I let the list get too big and negative and guilt-inducing in my head, it becomes an opponent rather than a friend.

3. I read one person online who recommended making fewer, vaguer categories, all positive, so that you want to meet them, or are happy and eager to check them off. You may of course have tougher things to get to, but you'll know that this particular set of goals will be enjoyable and will add flavor to your life.  You WILL read more of or even finish the awesome book, or you WANT to research that neat knitting technique, or you WILL check out that new restaurant on Yelp (done, done, and done--in the last two weeks, I read "Julie & Julia," which made me hungry and lead to a surprisingly successful Microwave-Hollandaise that I plopped on a frittata dinner, I tried and failed to master a new knitting pattern, and I tried a neat little vegetarian Indian/Thali place down the street with friends.  I also went to a friend's birthday party, and another friend's concert, which were not specifically on any lists).

Another way that I have been practicing this method is with how I have been trying to post about ROW80 things that I have accomplished--those little steps forward in creativity and exercise and consistency and outside-time.  I'm trying not to dwell on all of the goals that I'm not actually getting to in a given week, or list every goal and how it has been met or "failed" in great detail.  This method works great for other people, in terms of accomplishments and accountability, and I admire them for it.  But in my experience it just bogs me down into apathetic inactivity.  I'd rather focus in on the 2 goals I've gotten to each week, and celebrate the little stories around them that made life more interesting.  No, I am not writing or drawing or crafting or studying as consistently as I would like, but I am devoting more energy to being positive and creative and social, both on social media and in person.  Tiny steps.

If you are curious about my ACTUAL ROW80 goals and their progress, you can peruse them below.

Happy Weekend!

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My JANUARY (5th) - MARCH (26th) ROW80 GOALS:

Part A (Creativity & Social Media)
[~] 1. 1-2 blog posts per week (Ideally: 1 ROW80 post, 1 crafts post).
[~] 2. Do something creative every day.  Doodles still count.
[x] 3. Social Media: Check in with all accounts/communities every week.
[  ] 4. Catch up with/update blog & Facebook photo galleries.

Part B (Catching up with life):
[~] 1. Exercise--Ideal goal: 3x3x3 (3 sets of 3 exercises for 3+ days). 
[x] Bare minimum: 1 set of stretches.  Get outside on weekends.

[~] 2. Get my finances in order.  Also, address insurance, taxes and a new budget ASAP (however vague).
[~] 3. Decluttering, and re-organizing/re-claiming my room.
[81/100] 4. TRY to reach my 100th post in May for the blog's 2-year anniversary).

************************************************************************************