10 Things: Resolutions 2011

Yes, I know. The blog is a little stale. Things have grown dusty on the Christmas hiatus. I’ll work to tidy up around here in the coming weeks (and yes, I’ll fix the broken post about Sonar X6’s birthday).  In honor of the recent passage of an “arbitrary spot in Earth’s orbit around the Sun” (thank you Neil deGrasse Tyson)—i.e. The New Year—I’ve cooked up a 10 Things to get us back to writing. 

What? You don’t remember how to do 10 Things? That’s ok, it’s very easy. I’ll give you a prompt, and you write down the first 10 Things you think of in response to that prompt, the faster the better. It shouldn’t take you more than five or ten minutes. (Set your timer, Patrick!)  Then post your 10 Things down in the comments (or on your blog with a trackback).  

For a more rambling discussion of 10 Things, check here.  

I’ll leave some space here so that my 10 Things don’t unduly influence your 10 Things.  Scroll down to read mine when you’re done posting yours. Or don’t. It’s your life. 

10 Things: New Year’s Resolutions! GO!!!!

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My 10 Things (yep, these resolutions look a lot like last year’s, go figure.)

1. Run, push ups, run some more, sit ups, run some more.

2. Write EVERY day.

3. Read every day. Finish at least four books each month, following the elaborate scheme mapped out on the wall in front of me. (I’ll share that plan in another post)

4. Knit more, as in at least weekly, with the goal to have handmade Christmas gifts ready for most of my loved ones by December.

5. Keep the blog pretty and full of fresh words.

6. Plan love. On the first of each month, check the calendar, write cards and notes for friends and loved ones to connect or commemorate about significant events. Jot ideas for things that people want or need that are particular to them, so that I have ideas when I need them.

7. Sleep more. Yeah, I always fail at this one.

8. Update the financial plan. Toe the line, with some minor adjustments. Cross my fingers that the economy gets better for everyone.

9. Protect the writing. Incentivize (that’s a totally disgusting word, right?) the writing so that I’m not the only one protecting it. Make it a priority for those sharing my space and time as well.

10. Revel in the LOVE and BEAUTY  and GOOD around me. That includes YOU.

Thanks for hanging around and watching me ramble. What kind of ruckus can we get up to in 2011?   

25 Days of Gratitude, My Epic List of Thanks

Every day in November, over on Facebook, I posted something for which I feel grateful. Here’s the list.

Have a really fabulous Thanksgiving everyone!

November 1: I’m thankful for music. It moves our bodies and our minds, inspires, calms, excites, connects, and funkifies.

November 2: I’m thankful for Buttered Toast. What? They don’t all have to be profound.

November 3: I’m thankful for Books to read and Authors who drag my brain and heart to new places.

November 4: I’m thankful for Generous, Loving, Compassionate People who see a need in their community and pull together to fill it just because it will help someone.

November 5: I am thankful for all of YOU, the community of family and friends, old and new, that make up the fabric of my life and my experiences.

Bonus November 5: I am thankful for teachers who inspire kids to FLY!

November 6: I am thankful for Time. Time to write crappy novels, time to make them better, time to make things with my hands, time to run, time to be where I am needed by people I love.

Bonus November 6: I am thankful for toes in the sand and lovely friends with beautiful beaches.

November 7: I am thankful for knitting. The action of my hands soothes my manic brain and allows me to wrap the people I love in the warmth of a hug that can hold them even when I’m not there.

November 8: I am thankful for running and what it does for the body and brain, especially how it produces a really sharp pair of tibialis anterior muscles. (I’ve always been a sucker for those tibialis anteriors).

November 9: I am thankful for caffeine. Without it, I could still do all of the things I do, but I would surely be less enthusiastic about it.

November 10: I am thankful for the kitchen timer on my desk. It pushes me through my day, reminding me that I can do anything for fifteen minutes.

Bonus November 10: I am thankful for Hands. Hands to feel, to hold, to touch, to type, to push, to probe, to pull, to grab, to wave, to catch, to press, to test, to wiggle, to point, to emphasize, to speak, to write, to pinch, to direct, to shake, to tickle, to poke, to caress, to let go. Those suckers are really—um, useful.

November 11: I am thankful for my Veterans. To all the veterans and their families that I don’t know, thank you for the commitment and sacrifices you made to serve. The payback does not always justify what you gave or continue to give, but for this day, I hope we can do right by you, and remind society and government to do right by you always.

November 12: I am thankful for Partner because—among many other very cool things—he makes me oatmeal-raisin cookies for no reason.

November 13: I am thankful for Sonar X10, Sonar X7, and Sonar X5. Their jokes, their compassion, their creativity, their silliness, their struggles, their independence, their fierceness, their capacity to soak up ideas and push at the world around them. They make me growl sometimes but watching them grow is the most awesome thing I’ve ever done.

November 14: I am thankful for chocolate. Preferably dark and bitter, but also creamy and sweet with a swirl of caramel. Melted into hot chocolate with a crumple of dried chile and a splash of whiskey. Drizzled over ice cream. Chipped into a spoonful of peanut butter. The last melted bit sticking to my fingertip.

November 15: I am thankful for all of the people who have sheltered and lifted me when I have been broken, who have guided and forgiven me when I have been wrong and stupid, who have loved and laughed at and with me when I have been worthy. You rock.

November 16: I am thankful for beer. This one doesn’t need elaboration, does it?

November 17: I am thankful for the good job that provides us safe shelter, a full fridge, everything that we need, and many things that we want (including chocolate, beer, internet access, and buttered toast).

November 18: I am thankful for social media. I came to FaceBook kicking and screaming, and I used to think Twitter was stupid. But social media has allowed me to build a diverse community of writers and strivers and friends, and has allowed me to connect and reconnect with amazing people (That’s YOU!) across miles and time.

November 19: I’m thankful for electricity. I’m stealing this one from Sonar X10, actually (and another friend mentioned it too!). His science homework the other night asked him to list twenty things in the house that use electricity. My favorite electric things include the fridge, the Mac, the air conditioner, the washing machine, the radio, the stove, and lamps. But there are so many others. What’s your favorite?

November 20: I am thankful for bread, especially hot & fresh in my kitchen. Knead the dough, watch it rise, shape it, and wait. Sandwich bread, baguettes, buttered rolls, cinnamon buns, tortillas, naan, breadsticks, foccaccia, soft pretzels, bagels, pizza balls, whole wheat, rye, sweet, savory, sliced, stuffed, dipped, rolled, & TOASTED. Bread demands patience, but nothing feeds the stomach or the heart better than fresh bread.

November 21: I am thankful for Crys M., who convinced me to do NaNoWriMo in 2005. I am thankful for Cassie T., who introduced me to Crys. I am thankful for the English Dept at Penn State, which introduced me to Cass. I am thankful for Dan P., who told me to go to grad school somewhere else. I am thankful for the English Dept at NMSU, which introduced me to Dan P. I am thankful for all of the people in that chain of learning who taught me things and let me teach them.

November 22: I am thankful for the health and well-being of everyone I love (that includes YOU again). Let’s all take good care of ourselves and each other!

November 23: I am thankful for Popcorn. With finely crushed salt. In Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving, they eat popcorn with… Anyone remember?

November 24: I am thankful for laughter, good humor, and fun. Laughter can be a light in the darkness, a spark between lovers, the glue between friends.  Thank you for laughing at me. Thank you for laughing with me. Thank you for making me laugh. I love, love, love YOU.

November 25: I am thankful for so many more things. Clean water, awesome crossing guards, warm blankets, fresh grapefruit juice, pumpkin pie, comfortable shoes, blooming flowers, love, compassion, honesty, wide open spaces, reliable highways, soft kleenex, hugs… I could go on and on. I am so grateful for the richness of my life. Thank you for putting up with my list this month!

10 Things: To Throw into Your NaNo Novel (A Special NaNoWriMo 10 Things)

I am totally breaking my own rules today by blogging before meeting my writing and editing goals.  In fact, I’m not sure a day has passed that I didn’t break that rule in one way or another.  Naughty.

The first week of National Novel Writing Month has ended.  If you’ve been keeping up with the minimum daily goal of 1,667 words, you should have finished the weekend with nearly 12,000 words.  Don’t worry if you’re not there.  The pressure of the deadline can often inspire a burst of words.  So can getting through the beginning and figuring out where your story is going (if you hadn’t worked that out already, ahem.)

The trouble with the end of the first week, of course, is that the Euphoria of Starting is wearing off, and now we’re all realizing that this is going to be a bit of a slog to get through the murky middle and hit 50,000 words anytime in the next year.  Such is writing.  

One way that we can try to keep the excitement alive is by throwing surprises into the novel now and again.  Call them Challenges, call them tossing Wrenches into the works.  Last night I suggested to @Bego that she set fire to something in her novel.  She giddily reported burning a field.  I love how this can work!

Here are 10 Things you could throw into your novel to shake things up and create interest for you the writer.  You never know, maybe they’ll also actually make your story better. 

These 10 Things were chosen at random from the Tim Horton’s Coffee Can, so you know there is a universal wisdom to them.  Seek not to question the Tim Horton’s Coffee Can.  

10 Things To Toss into Your NaNoWriMo Novel:

1.  Something red

2. A sticky doorknob

3. Someone driving too slow

4. A kiss

5.  A mention of temperature

6. Something/someone smashed (or have a character smash something, Hulk-style)

7. A toenail

8. A game of tug-o-war

9. A Parade

10. A jar of pickles

Bonus: A cup of coffee.  No, wait, maybe that should go in the Writer, not the Novel.

Write hard friends.  I’m at 16,235.  Sound off your count or your favorite Challenge/Wrench in the comments.  

10 Things: Backpack

10 Things participation has been very low lately. Apparently everyone has been Working when they should be Writing 10 Things. We must put a stop to this productivity right now.

Stop what you’re doing.

Take out a writing implement.

Write the first 10 Things you think of when I say BACKPACK!

Write yours first. Read mine if you want to. Put yours in the comments. Or put them on your site and link back here. Whatever floats your pack. Go go go go go. 

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My 10 Things for BACKPACK

1. You need to know what’s in your BACKPACK. If your friends put things in your BACKPACK, then you must be able to trust your friends. Better yet, don’t let anyone else put anything in your BACKPACK.

2. A tiny Sonar, in a sweatshirt, sleeping in the kid BACKPACK on Partner’s back, while Partner washed clothes at the laundromat and I read dusty books, and wrote 20 pages treatises that were only ever read by two people. 

3. BACKPACKing across Europe. A Euro-rail pass and a change of clothes. Can anyone over 30 or with children do this?

4. BACKPACKs filled with books and lunch, on a kid, on the way to school.

5. BACKPACKs for kids, a school-supply charity drive.

6. BACKPACKing in the mountains with extreme-weather gear that weighs mere ounces, and carrying tiny tubes of gourmet spices. 

7. A jet-pack on your back. No, not on YOUR back, on Connie Chung’s back at the Republican National Convention, circa 1984.  Am I remembering that right? Who remembers this? Political conventions are apparently good opportunities for weird stunts. 

8. Rolling BACKPACKs are nuisances in schools.

9. BACKPACK as euphemism? Anything can be euphemism. There must be a way to spin BACKPACKing as euphemism for something. It should include a monkey. Like a monkey on your BACKPACK. But NOT a monkey BACKPACK.

10. The BACK PACK, a lesser-known cousin of the Brat Pack. Who would you put in the BACK PACK? People with hairy backs like Robyn Williams? Or perhaps quarterbacks and fullbacks?

Some weeks are harder than others!

What’s coming out of your BACKPACK??? It must be better than mine. Share it. Now! 

10 Things: TIPS

Okay everyone. Stretch your fingers. Take out a blank page. It’s time for 10 THINGS!  I give you a prompt, and you write down or type out the first 10 Things you think of. Be serious. Be silly. Just play with the words for a few minutes. There are no wrong answers, and no one will take away your birthday if you think of something absurd. In fact we might just love the absurd things the best. Put your 10 Things in the comments and then read mine.

Ready? What are the first 10 Things you think of when I say…

TIPS

Go!!!

~This space left intentionally blank to limit my influence on your 10 Things~ 

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My TIPS

1.  From the TIPS or your nose to the TIPS of your toes. All of you.

2.  “TIPS” written on the side of the jar, on the counter, in the sandwich shop, decorated with multi-colored squiggles by the guy wearing the rainbow cap over his unwashed hair. 

3. The TIPS of the fingers. FingerTIPS touching each other. FingerTIPS on the window, watching someone leave.

4.  The TIPS of hair. The ends.  TIPped, to be a different color from the rest of the hair, like the lead singer of Berlin in the video for “Take My Breath Away.” That’s what it was called, right?

5. TIPS over. When the little cup of water is filled by the fountain, it TIPS over to drench the giggling child standing underneath. 

6. TIPSy. A little drunk. I’m wondering if he’ll fall on his butt when the chair TIPS over.

7. TIPS from Crimestoppers. Bits of information given anonymously to the police, to help solve crimes. 

8. TIPS about stocks. Sometimes legal. Sometimes called Insider Trading.

9. TIPS off. Warns that something unexpected is about to happen. 

10. Steak TIPS. No, beef TIPS. What recipe would be good for beef TIPS? Would it involve gravy? How about onions?

11. Bonus TIPS (Full Disclosure: some of these acronyms are real. I know because I looked them up. Some of them aren’t. I know because I made them up.) T.I.P.S. An acronym for something, but what? Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, Training for Intervention Procedures (for servers of alcohol), Tobacco Information and Prevention Source, Trevor’s Inevitable Party Syndrome, Tots Inciting Pickle Stomping, Terrible Innovations in the Postal Service, True Incidents in Parrot Singing) 

Add your 10 Things or your T.I.P.S. in the comments. Right now.