Tag Archives: #November

#NoBloPo It’s still November and I’m Still Writing!! #NoBloPo

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Whew!! I’m over a week behind!! Maybe I’ll finish out the week one-post-a-week basis? Well, I’ll give myself a break, if I may…I’ve been super busy with work and “stuff.” But I will have an extra post or two in the next couple of days because I have to tell you about my weekend in NY to see Sylvie Guillem’s retirement performance, hang out in one of my favorite American cities, and have an EPIC tweet up with a Twitter/Facebook/Instagram friend.

In the spirit of keeping November a writing month, here is my update to #NoBloPoMo writing.

Monday, November 9

What is the first thing you do every single day (I mean, after you hit the snooze button)? When did that step in your routine begin?

I am so so so spoiled (and yes, very blessed)… Carboy brings a mug of hot coffee right to my bedside table every morning and that is how I wake up – a cup of hot coffee and a warm, soft cat on my lap. I’m a happy girl.

Tuesday, November 10

What is the hardest part of a big project: getting the energy to begin, finding the time to work on it, or feeling down that it’s over?

Again, I think I’m super fortunate in this respect… I like work, I like hard work. So when I have a big project looming I’m excited, the energy builds and I’m ready to go.   I’m always overworked so there are always issues with finding more time but I also don’t do things like watch TV or go to the movies or spend hours playing online games so I actually have quite a bit of time available to me. The hardest part for me is when something is over because it’s hard for me to let go of something that I’m invested in – which is every project that I work on. I always go through a bit of a grieving process. It was super hard to finish my doctorate. I still miss it even though it’s been a couple of years now. I miss the intensity of the whole thing.

Wednesday, November 11

What was the last thing you fixed or built?

hmmmmm… does curriculum count?  Usually when something needs to be fixed I hand it over to Carboy and say “Here, make this work!” and he does, like toothpaste that doesn’t want to come out of the tube or when a milkshake at In-n-Out is too thick to be sucked out of the straw and he takes care of it for me 🙂  It’s a good system.

Thursday, November 12

If you had a personal assistant who would do your most dreaded tasks, which items from your to-do list would you assign out?

HOUSE CLEANING!!!!

Friday, November 13

Describe your ideal day off. What would you do with your time?

Oh, you know ballet would be involved… taking a class, watching a rehearsal, going to a performance, ballet shopping. Also coffee would be involved. And chocolate. And probably pasta and or bread. A bookstore. A beach. A long walk. Art. Music. A park bench. Just listening to the everything and nothing. And then closing my eyes and knowing that my small bit of world is still okay because the people (and that includes my dog and cat) know that I love them and always will.

November Commitments

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Are you familiar with #NaNoWriMo? It stands for National Novel Writing Month, it occurs in November and it’s a virtual commitment and community that spends the month of November committed to writing 50,000 words. A spin-off of #NaNoWriMo is #AcWriMo which stands Academic Writing Month. Same concept just for academic work such as dissertations, journal articles, and the like. I like to participate in #AcWriMo not just to get work done, actually I enjoy being an #AcWriMo Ambassador because I get to cheer people on, encourage writers when things get tough, give a loving kick in the booty when necessary and basically be a keeper of the flame. Encouraging others encourages me; it’s a good cycle to get in.  This year I am very fortunate, I don’t have any deadlines or assignment looming so I have a lot of freedom. Therefore I decided to just binge write – write everyday about whatever catches my fancy. I’ll use December to sort it out. I’m committed to write but to write happily and freely.

I haven’t been going to ballet class much lately. I’ve been tired and stressed from other life events. I love ballet and I know that it helps everything but sometimes… well, it’s just difficult. Sometimes things are just difficult.

On this blog, I usually like to commit November to a month of gratitude. So I was thinking about gratitude, #AcrWriMo, and all the things that I’ve been dealing with and it occurred to me that sometimes being grateful is about accepting those things that are difficult and living and enjoying life with the difficulties included. I’m not talking about dancing on an injury or going to class instead of being with loved ones that need you but in taking care of myself as I need it and working because sometimes work is really the very best thing for me, for my mind, for my body, for my spirit.

So my commitment for November is a commitment of work and of gratitude because I am grateful for all the things that I have and that I have the ability to work hard and continue moving forward in my life. For the month of November, I am writing everyday (although not necessarily here on the blog) and I am dancing everyday – 30 days of writing and dancing.  And in my November commitment to dance I choose to simply luxuriate and enjoy – I will not set any goals or pressure to move up a level or increase the number of pirouettes that I can do but just to enjoy the freedom and joy of dancing every day. I only want to make dancing and writing in happiness a habit and a commitment that hopefully will carry on beyond the month of November!

November