Sticking to Goals

Since my daughter came to visit yesterday, I wasn't able to do many of the things I usually do. One of those things is write 1,667 words a day for Nanowrimo. I got no writing done yesterday, so this morning I wrote 1667 words. Which means I wrote enough for today, but I still have to make up for two days of not writing. So I really need to write another 3334 words today so I don't get hopelessly far behind. But at least I have the rest of the day to do it in.

Another goal I'm reaching today is mailing a chemo cap to a dear lady. I tried to mail it yesterday but I forgot it was Veteran's Day and the post offices were closed. Once I get that mailed I'll feel a lot better about myself.

Bonding With Family

My daughter was in town so I dropped everything to spend as much time with her as possible. She lives about 350 miles away and works 3 jobs so I don't see her often. We got some shopping done, talked about her new photography business, ate lots and had a great time. My boyfriend took us to the Asian Buffet for lunch. My daughter has a business meeting tomorrow all day in Long Beach. So she may go straight home from there, or she may come back over. We'll see.

Mon. Nov9 Taking Things in Stride

Tonight I had a writer's meeting at a Starbucks for Nanowrimo. Only when I got there, it was closed. A little note was stuck to the door that our meeting had been moved to Brookhurst and Crescent. The note didn't say if that was another Starbucks, another house, or if we were going to be standing on a street corner with our laptops. So note to self...write more thorough notes. So I had to do a bit of exploring in the dark to find the other Starbucks. It's not even at that intersection, but half a block up. And because of the layout of the tables and chairs I couldn't even sit with the writers. I ended up sitting by myself on the other side. But they all had laptops, so I had more flexibility in where I could sit. There are some advantages to writing long hand. So I wrote with a pen in a notebook. I left early though, because I figured if I'm just going to sit alone and write, I may as well be at home.
Of course then when I got home I had to type it all into my computer. But that gives me a chance to do a bit of editing while I'm writing.

So taking things in stride means to be flexible with changes in plans. Don't let it ruin your whole day.

Sun. Nov. 8 Being Yourself in a Crowd

I probably didn't win any brownie points today but at least I had integrity. Our Nanowrimo writing group went to Build-a-Bear in Downtown Disney presumably to make writing mascots. Though a popular and fun idea for most, I had no interest in dropping $50 at Build-a-Bear and another $25 at the expensive restaurant they chose to have lunch at. I'm doing my best to live within my means, and not only that, but I'd rather make a one of a kind original bear if I wanted to have a bear. If they'd had a pot luck make your own bear bash I would have been all over that. I had to struggle to stand up to them and say over and over again 'no I'm not making a bear today'. And also, I ate a cheap lunch on the way there, so at the restaurant I only got a coke to tide me over.  I saw no reason to pay over $9.00 for a bowl of soup and a plate of bread. I was going to order dessert to be social, but the cheapest dessert was $9 as well. Either those people are thriving in this economy more than I am, or they are charging everything to keep up with the Joneses.

So either the Nanowrimo in Orange County is unique and more into this writing thing for their parties or the serious writers are holed up in their dens and apartments writing like crazy while everyone else is building bears at Downtown Disney.

So my theme today is being yourself even when peer pressure is trying to control you.

Focus on Fiction

Today's theme is to work on my Nanowrimo.org novel. I have almost 8,000 words done. I'm not complaining but I should have 11,000 words done.

Vlogging

Documenting my life with videos. A live journal captures so much more than words on a page can.

In Memory Of

Today's theme is to do something in memory of a departed loved one. So I'm doing embroidery, which I learned from my mother when I was a child. I remember her teaching me the lazy daisy stitch and the chain stitch. I can't believe I don't have a single thing my mother made. Out of all the things she crocheted, tatted, sewed or embroidered. I'm not sure if my other siblings got anything like that, or if her sisters sold it all off at the swap or tossed it out. I remembered I asked for her sewing tools at least, but my aunt tried to find them and couldn't. But I will still have my memories, right?