I did it! I wrote the novel, and I have it edited. It's a sense of accomplishment that's kinda nice. For a month I had a diversion to focus on. But now the holidays are squarely upon us and I can't help but be reminded of the goal I'm still holding out for. So I'll try to come back and write more in the Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/Eid season, but tonight, getting ready for what should be a festive evening, it just makes me sad thinking about the fact that what I truly want for Christmas will have to wait. But before I tear up again and this makeup trails off my face, it's time to go to a party.
Happy Holidays to all!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Success!
I have to start this post on a positive note, or it will turn into grousing, like so many other things in my life at this point, and that's not what I'm going for.
I did it! I made it through the election season without tipping my had which way I wanted to go. Those of you who know me know that I work somewhere that I'm not supposed to reveal my opinion. And in the final two and a half months of the election season, that got harder and harder to do. Any comment, no matter how it was intended, was perceived as bias or an attempt to influence those within my sphere. I had to stop blogging because every time I even made a quip it looked slanted, or could at least be perceived that way. So I figured, if I couldn't even blog about my choice, I'd best not blog at all. I stayed away, and I did it! I didn't tip my hand, I played devil's advocate in conversations - only my closest confidants know how I voted. Even the economy/health-care debate the broke out at my own birthday dinner... and that was a hard one for me to avoid.
Of course, there were other things keeping me from the keyboard as well. Working three different shifts over the course of a week tends to make me want nothing more than sleep when I'm not working. Turning another year older led to a week's worth of partying, which was the only positive reason... For the most part work has consumed my life. Even Halloween, no one got to see the nifty costume I made, because I was detained at work for a site survey that lasted till midnight. So, to wrap this up before I grouse, I'm ready for a change. But my life is at someone else's disposal until after the first of the year.
Until then, I am trying something else for a sense of satisfaction. I'm trying NaNoWriMo. That's the exercise where you write a novel in a month. Mine will be no good - my friend talked me into it at the last minute so I'm a touch behind. But I'm trying it. ANd I'm hitting the lack of motivation point. The where do i go next point. So I'm letting you all know that I'm doing it in hopes that shame of not finishing will push me forward.
Wish me luck!
I did it! I made it through the election season without tipping my had which way I wanted to go. Those of you who know me know that I work somewhere that I'm not supposed to reveal my opinion. And in the final two and a half months of the election season, that got harder and harder to do. Any comment, no matter how it was intended, was perceived as bias or an attempt to influence those within my sphere. I had to stop blogging because every time I even made a quip it looked slanted, or could at least be perceived that way. So I figured, if I couldn't even blog about my choice, I'd best not blog at all. I stayed away, and I did it! I didn't tip my hand, I played devil's advocate in conversations - only my closest confidants know how I voted. Even the economy/health-care debate the broke out at my own birthday dinner... and that was a hard one for me to avoid.
Of course, there were other things keeping me from the keyboard as well. Working three different shifts over the course of a week tends to make me want nothing more than sleep when I'm not working. Turning another year older led to a week's worth of partying, which was the only positive reason... For the most part work has consumed my life. Even Halloween, no one got to see the nifty costume I made, because I was detained at work for a site survey that lasted till midnight. So, to wrap this up before I grouse, I'm ready for a change. But my life is at someone else's disposal until after the first of the year.
Until then, I am trying something else for a sense of satisfaction. I'm trying NaNoWriMo. That's the exercise where you write a novel in a month. Mine will be no good - my friend talked me into it at the last minute so I'm a touch behind. But I'm trying it. ANd I'm hitting the lack of motivation point. The where do i go next point. So I'm letting you all know that I'm doing it in hopes that shame of not finishing will push me forward.
Wish me luck!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The List of Firsts
As I sit here and wait for the laundry to finish it's extra rinse cycle, I can blog this fairly quickly and easily... so I will. That and I've gotten my fill of discussing politics and the economy at work, and everything else in my life (i.e. the green-eyed monster rearing its ugly head again) seems inconsequential.... At least this is fun :) If you don't think so - blame Farrago for pointing me there!
1. Who was your FIRST prom date?
Went to my Jr and Sr proms without dates, so the first prom date was the exchange student whom I met when I was in college.
2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love?
Yes.
3. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?
Gin martini (icky)
4. What was your FIRST job?
Snack bar waitress
5. What was your FIRST car?
Midnight blue metallic 1984 Ford Thunderbird
6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
Friend inquiring about my day
7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
The one who should've been in the bed with the cat and I
8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
Mrs. Brondyke
9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
New Orleans
10. Who was your FIRST best friend, and are you still friends with him / her?
Kirsten - nope
11. Who was your FIRST kiss?
Robert
12. Where was your FIRST sleep over?
My grandma's house.
13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
Coworkers
14. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time?
Dear Friend from college whom I still keep up with to this day
15. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
Hit the snooze
16. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
Sylvia
17. FIRST tattoo or piercing?
First piercing, ear lobes
18. FIRST foreign country you went to?Canada
19. First movie you remember seeing in the theater?
The Muppet Movie
20. When was your FIRST detention?
Never got one
21. What was the FIRST state you lived in?
Same one I'm in now
22. Who was the FIRST person to really break your heart?
To break it at the time in as much as I knew of love? Mr Sr. Prom Date
To truly break my heart? Mr. Scientist
23. Who was your first roommate?
College, freshman year
24. With whom was your FIRST date?
Keith
1. Who was your FIRST prom date?
Went to my Jr and Sr proms without dates, so the first prom date was the exchange student whom I met when I was in college.
2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love?
Yes.
3. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?
Gin martini (icky)
4. What was your FIRST job?
Snack bar waitress
5. What was your FIRST car?
Midnight blue metallic 1984 Ford Thunderbird
6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
Friend inquiring about my day
7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
The one who should've been in the bed with the cat and I
8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
Mrs. Brondyke
9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
New Orleans
10. Who was your FIRST best friend, and are you still friends with him / her?
Kirsten - nope
11. Who was your FIRST kiss?
Robert
12. Where was your FIRST sleep over?
My grandma's house.
13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
Coworkers
14. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time?
Dear Friend from college whom I still keep up with to this day
15. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
Hit the snooze
16. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
Sylvia
17. FIRST tattoo or piercing?
First piercing, ear lobes
18. FIRST foreign country you went to?Canada
19. First movie you remember seeing in the theater?
The Muppet Movie
20. When was your FIRST detention?
Never got one
21. What was the FIRST state you lived in?
Same one I'm in now
22. Who was the FIRST person to really break your heart?
To break it at the time in as much as I knew of love? Mr Sr. Prom Date
To truly break my heart? Mr. Scientist
23. Who was your first roommate?
College, freshman year
24. With whom was your FIRST date?
Keith
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Forget Mind Candy....This One's Mind Jerky!
Here's the blog post that I promised someone a few weeks ago. Not that it's taken me that long to write it, so much as that long for me to distill the central question to write about. You see, we had a conversation, and he made a statement that confused me, but I couldn't quite express why. There were a few offshoots, but I couldn't get past them to get to the root of it. SO I promised a blog entry.
I thought. I considered. I pondered, recollected, analyzed, and even ruminated... no dice. My brain just didn't want to go there - it kept following the line of thought forward, but not backward to its origin.
Then, Sen. John McCain pulled one of the biggest political gambles in decades.... Gov. Sarah Palin. Really? This is either a glimpse of political genius that we have missed out on because of the controversy on the other side of the ticket.... or one of the stupidest things a candidate could do right now. After hashing this one out with people on both sides and even a few undecideds, I think we'll have to let the historians tell our children that one in books yet to be written.
Having something else to let my mind nosh on for a while shoved our conversation to the back burner, where, as all good unwatched pots do, it boiled over this afternoon I went for a walk around a very flooded lake.
He said that he likes the "me" that he sees right now. Hmmm. Interesting. He's not the only one to say that. In fact, from the ex who moved away to the one I want and everyone in between, most people seem to like this "me" even more. When he said that, the first thought was "what's different?" I've pulled away from people in the last year, become more the staid and stalwart gal who sustained herself as an only child, as half of a relationship that made her feel unwanted, and as the one constantly left behind. I'm reverting to the person who does what she wants because no one really cares what she does. Don't get me wrong, I tried caring for people. I even let a few in after years of complaints that I was too walled off. They are all more comfortable, or so it appears, with that one way relationship from me.
I've started doing more things, but my heart isn't always in it. I don't go out just to avoid being alone any more. Now I sit at home and acknowledge that this is my life. I can choose to throw myself into other people's worlds and have that give-and-take, but with that comes their drama and their pain and the inevitable dragging-down that comes with being a part of their drama instead of an adviser. Those are the people I've stepped back from.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not shutting myself off entirely. Or that's not my intent. But the people whom I want to have as an integral part of my life, have decided they need to pull back from me. It hurts to think that for some I've been that drama they need to avoid, although I can acknowledge that being around me hasn't been as drama-free as I like in the last year and a half. I've done plenty of falling apart and putting myself back together. At times I've had help, and it's help that I actually, and uncharacteristically, welcomed. Lately, though, it's all me because, like Humpty Dumpty, no one wants to be there to put the pieces back together. I'm trying not to speculate about the why.... I get myself into trouble that way, trying to understand other people's actions without asking. Yet when I ask, I get radio silence for days/weeks at a time.
Then, today, as I was walking around the lake, it hit me. The essential question to me, I think, is how so many people can like something that I know is incomplete. Not necessarily "flawed" (any moreso than any other human) or "broken" (which one could argue I've been in the past). Simply missing what I consider to be an essential part for long term happiness. Companionship.
When I had it, I was less likeable, possibly because I knew I didn't quite "have" it yet, but that it was on loan, if that makes any sense. Which poses its own set of problems... another of the forward-thought processes that my brain kept following.
I am missing a significant person in my life. I've had boyfriends, I've had best friends, but all along they've not filled the gap entirely. Now I am free to pursue whatever I want, and am actually encouraged by many people to do so. Problem is, I don't want it. As you scratch your head in wonderment, allow me to explain.
I want companionship (for lack of a word bearing all sorts of inner and hidden and double/triple meanings). I had it. It was wonderful. I made mistakes that let it slip away. It's partially back, and it will take time to see if it ever comes back. Meanwhile, I'm technically free to pursue other offers. I've been told I should do the match.com thing, some eharmony... But I don't want to. I know what I'm missing and I know what piece of the puzzle seems to fit there. Any other pursuit at this point would
I thought. I considered. I pondered, recollected, analyzed, and even ruminated... no dice. My brain just didn't want to go there - it kept following the line of thought forward, but not backward to its origin.
Then, Sen. John McCain pulled one of the biggest political gambles in decades.... Gov. Sarah Palin. Really? This is either a glimpse of political genius that we have missed out on because of the controversy on the other side of the ticket.... or one of the stupidest things a candidate could do right now. After hashing this one out with people on both sides and even a few undecideds, I think we'll have to let the historians tell our children that one in books yet to be written.
Having something else to let my mind nosh on for a while shoved our conversation to the back burner, where, as all good unwatched pots do, it boiled over this afternoon I went for a walk around a very flooded lake.
He said that he likes the "me" that he sees right now. Hmmm. Interesting. He's not the only one to say that. In fact, from the ex who moved away to the one I want and everyone in between, most people seem to like this "me" even more. When he said that, the first thought was "what's different?" I've pulled away from people in the last year, become more the staid and stalwart gal who sustained herself as an only child, as half of a relationship that made her feel unwanted, and as the one constantly left behind. I'm reverting to the person who does what she wants because no one really cares what she does. Don't get me wrong, I tried caring for people. I even let a few in after years of complaints that I was too walled off. They are all more comfortable, or so it appears, with that one way relationship from me.
I've started doing more things, but my heart isn't always in it. I don't go out just to avoid being alone any more. Now I sit at home and acknowledge that this is my life. I can choose to throw myself into other people's worlds and have that give-and-take, but with that comes their drama and their pain and the inevitable dragging-down that comes with being a part of their drama instead of an adviser. Those are the people I've stepped back from.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not shutting myself off entirely. Or that's not my intent. But the people whom I want to have as an integral part of my life, have decided they need to pull back from me. It hurts to think that for some I've been that drama they need to avoid, although I can acknowledge that being around me hasn't been as drama-free as I like in the last year and a half. I've done plenty of falling apart and putting myself back together. At times I've had help, and it's help that I actually, and uncharacteristically, welcomed. Lately, though, it's all me because, like Humpty Dumpty, no one wants to be there to put the pieces back together. I'm trying not to speculate about the why.... I get myself into trouble that way, trying to understand other people's actions without asking. Yet when I ask, I get radio silence for days/weeks at a time.
Then, today, as I was walking around the lake, it hit me. The essential question to me, I think, is how so many people can like something that I know is incomplete. Not necessarily "flawed" (any moreso than any other human) or "broken" (which one could argue I've been in the past). Simply missing what I consider to be an essential part for long term happiness. Companionship.
When I had it, I was less likeable, possibly because I knew I didn't quite "have" it yet, but that it was on loan, if that makes any sense. Which poses its own set of problems... another of the forward-thought processes that my brain kept following.
I am missing a significant person in my life. I've had boyfriends, I've had best friends, but all along they've not filled the gap entirely. Now I am free to pursue whatever I want, and am actually encouraged by many people to do so. Problem is, I don't want it. As you scratch your head in wonderment, allow me to explain.
I want companionship (for lack of a word bearing all sorts of inner and hidden and double/triple meanings). I had it. It was wonderful. I made mistakes that let it slip away. It's partially back, and it will take time to see if it ever comes back. Meanwhile, I'm technically free to pursue other offers. I've been told I should do the match.com thing, some eharmony... But I don't want to. I know what I'm missing and I know what piece of the puzzle seems to fit there. Any other pursuit at this point would
- waste the guy's time,
- therefore proving disrespectful, and
- would only be undertaken as an attempt to make someone else feel jealous, which would be a game, and I don't play games.
I know he wants me to see what else is out there. I can't do it. Which may explain also why my male friends like the me they see - I'm a challenge again, a puzzle to figure out. Not sure why my female friends are newly enamored... except that they don't have to give, they can just take now.
So there's the glimpse into my mind, as promised. Now it's time to go feed this kitten who's nudging me as I type!
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