Got Momentum?

I have this brilliant plan! Well, I'm adopting a brilliant plan. It's originally a Tony Robbins thing. Some of it I've already started, so I suppose the goal for 2009 is to do all of it.

• Get Clear - "Where focus goes, energy flows." Thank you, Tony Robbins. Yes, it's cheesy and it rhymes, but that's why I remember it. I'm a Dr. Zeus fan. Go figure. Anyway, I'm working on my vision board--a useful tool and a great regression to kindergarten, what with the drawing, cutting, and pasting.
  

• Functional Plan - What has worked? I'm doing more of it. What hasn't? It's history.
  

• Accomplice - For three years I jumped on the NaNoWriMo wagon and tried to write a novel in one month. Two of those years I came up short. This year I succeeded. The difference wasn't time or circumstance. This year I actually had far less time then the previous two. But I had writing buddies. So I'm recruiting partners for my goals this year, partners that share that particular goal.

• Create Momentum - Obviously planning is nothing without doing. So I'm going to link the actually doing that relates to my goals with something that is already part of my routine. That way I don't have to think about it.
  

• Keep Going - No more interrupting my housecleaning rituals to check my blog stats. I've taken to setting the timer on the microwave and cleaning in spurts. Racing the clock makes me go faster and then rushing back to pipe in on twitter feels like a little reward.

• Give More - It's a way of remembering what we have and sharing it with others. It feels good, it's fat-free, and, oh yeah, it attracts positive people and experiences.
  

Okay then, let's just see how this goes. I should be a healthier, more productive, more often published, well-traveled version of myself in 2009. Oh, if you want to see the Tony Robbins video, here you go.

Pic by ihtatho

Are You a Cow?

Yeah? Me, too!

My fellow bovines--those of the oxen/cow persuasion, according to the Chinese calendar--this is our year. Woo-hoo! As of today, the lunar year turns in our favor.

I went digging around and found what, according to Wikipedia, are our best traits, and it seems we are the epitome of dependable. So make sure to follow through. We have a rep to protect, people.

We are a water sign. Excellent. That is all the excuse I needed to plan a beach vacation. Turquoise waves of warm Caribbean salt water are getting splashed onto my vision board. Do you need more justification? This year's colors are yellow and blue... Sun and water? I think so!

I know we're supposed to be the über hardworking, anti-lazy sign, but in that regard, I stray from the herd big time. For me, it's work smarter; nap longer. It's probably a water ox thing. Of course, this is the year of the earth ox, so my symbolic sleeves are rolled up and I'm ready to be more industrious... but I'll still aim to be productive poolside.

Anyway, happy new year! Again!


Pic by sunchild dd

My Digital Lifestyle

I'm about to overdose on media. But clearly not before posting this.

I have twitterific popping up tweets, eight active tabs on my browser, Adium chiming everyone's chat status at me, email pinging, the house phone, my cell phone, the fax machine, the radio, and my digital recorder playing back my voice notes.

I need a break before I break. My digital lifestyle is great, but every now and then I need to disconnect and listen to to real tweets... the kind birds make. I need the woosh to be not from the email I just sent, but from the wind.

You know?

Pic by Spekulator

Blogs I Read

Besides digging out my closet, cleaning up my blog, and facing off with the kitchen cupboard, I've gone through my RSS links.

I've deleted and adding subscriptions, and by February 1st I hope to end up with a list that is more in tune with my current interests and needs. That's 11 days to set my reading selections. Here's a little of what I have so far.

Three new additions:

The Golden Pencil

• I'm a brand new reader, as in just joined today. I joined because I like the both the practical posts and the conversational tone. Visually, the paragraphs are a bit large. It would be more comfortable to read with more white space, so I just switch on the text-to-voice and listen.
  

The Renegade Writer Blog

• This one I added a couple of days ago. These two writers are funny! And they touch on topics that I'm normally Googling for. I'm still getting to know this blog, but so far I really like it.
  

Halfway to Normal

• A few months ago I stumbled on Chuck Westbrook's blog. He started a pet project to promote blogs with great content, but no readers. Halfway to Normal is the 6th blog those of us in the group are reading, so clearly it's in my reader. But it's on this little list because it happens to be good. It's not a writing blog; it's a personal blog that's very amusing. Kristin is a great story teller.
  

I'm reading many more, but putting up a ginormous list seems pointless. I'd rather share a few here and there. And I'm on the lookout for more great online reading material. Yes, I'm an addict--if it's in a language I can decipher, I will read it.

So, go ahead, enable me. What are you reading?

President Barak Obama, Day One

President Barak Obama is an amazing speaker. His inaugural speech was serious, no frills... and still compelling and very moving. I usually avoid political discussions on my personal blog. Today, the occasion warrants an exception.

Don't worry, I don't even own a soap box; but I do want to share his full inaugural speech, along with some of the parts I found most meaningful.

• "The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works."
  
• "...spend wisely, and do our business in the light of day..."

• "...our power grows through its prudent use...
• "...our security emanates from the justice of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint..."
• "For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness."

And his call to a return to tried and true virtues resonates with me: honesty and hard work, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism.

The events of the last eight years have promoted an atmosphere of suspicion and fear. The focus of President Obama on honesty and hope promises to alleviate some of that, provided the nation follows his lead. We are too diverse and too involved with the rest of the world to live leery of our neighbor.

I like President Obama's goals. These quotes sound like a good basis for my personal 2009 goals.

How's My Blog?

It's happening again... winter clutter. And my blog is no exception. Why wait for Spring? I'm digging my way out now. And yes, I'm starting with virtual clutter--it's less physically demanding.

Blog

• I have a search box (top left) now. No more archives. Who remembers what month they read about coffee cupping or the squirrel invasion?
• I've deleted, shifted, and changed a few things.
  
• My meditating avatar is floating a little higher. She looked like she was getting smushed.

Well, how did I do? Poll is just above this post. Thanks!

Looking Back at 2008

Every year has interesting discoveries. Here are some of mine.

Favorite literary mag discovery: Memoir (and)

• Memoir (and) is published twice a year by Memoir Journal in California. It's a collection of essays, graphics, narrative photography, and poetry.

Favorite restaurant discovery: None. Lot's of great new places, but no favorite.

• So instead, I'll just cheer on an old favorite: Bread Winners. I never tire of their food. It's one of the best places for brunch. They make this amazing butter croissant asparagus eggs Benedict... yes, it's absolutely worth whatever you have to do at the gym or wherever it is that you go to burn it off.
  

Favorite coffee house: Crooked Tree Coffee House

• Don't get me wrong, I'm still a regular at Dunn Bros. But I have to admit, Crooked Tree would be part of my regular schedule as well, if it were closer to home. It reminds me of Austin. As is stands, I'm more an occasional visitor... a very happy one.
  

Favorite gadget: Ghost Reader

• OK, it's software, but I like it. It reads out loud to me in several languages. My Mac already reads to e in English, but Ghost reader can do it in Spanish and French as well. And it gives me a choice of accents. Fun.

Favorite movie: Persepolis

• It's a fabulous telling of an individual experience of a young girl living through Iran's 1979 revolution.
  

Favorite Book: El Juego del Angel (The Angel's Game)

• If you've read La Sombra del Viento (The Shadow of the Wind), this is the prequel. It's set in 1920's Barcelona. A reclusive writer, David Martin, authors disturbing thrillers under a pseudonym. One day he receives a letter from one Andreas Corelli, a French publisher who has chosen him to write a book. David gets sucked into a nightmare reminiscent of his own dark stories.
  

Favorite online funny: The Freelancer National Anthem

• And it's about time we got one. It's hysterical.
  

What were your faves last year?

Here's my list from last year

Pic by concretecandy

Glitter and Punk Boys and Plaid, Oh My!

I love hanging out with my friends. They can make any place fun, even the Knox Street Pub & Grill.

It's ugly, has crappy ventilation (despite the open doors), and the DJ... Well, you decide: he played Britney Spears, Billy Jean, gangster rap music, techno something or other, and Neil Diamond in the same 30-minute period.

The walls covered in plasma screens were cool, though. And I liked the videos they were showing. But those features are not hard to find in much better places.

The drinks sucked, but the people watching was top notch! As one of our friends put it, there were college kids, people who thought they were still college kids, and some older people--I guess that was us. LOL!

One guy with an enormous Mohawk put on a good show during Billy Jean. Several of us concluded he must have requested the song. That's right, a twenty-something tattooed, cheerful punk was busting out his 80's jazz dance moves. And he was really good,too. I was completely amused.

At one point a group walked in dressed in bad golf fashion. We're talking argyle socks, dorky knickers, golf caps and everything. It was a sweater vest brigade. I'm thinking theme party or a new fashion trend I want nothing to do with.

Also a party, but without a theme: the glamor group. The girls were in strapless full length gowns or teeny, shiny cocktail dresses--in 45 degree weather--and the guys in either suits or tuxedos. Maybe a wedding after party?

Anyway, we had fun. I doubt we'll ever be inspired to return, but it was an experience... all be it an anthropological one.

You work from home? What's it like?

Well, I was supposed to speak at a networking event today, but it got canceled--sleet is a huge deterrent in a warm state. But I had already prepared a presentation. So, I decided there was no need to let a good outline go to waste.

I turned bullet points into paragraphs, added pictures, made a cover with an original toon I scribbled, and basically got completely carried away.

Now my notes are en essay called You work from home? What's it like?

So let me know what you think.

January Writing Goal - 2009

Whew! Holidays are finally over. While fun (mostly), they're exhausting. So without the excuse of celebrations and visiting relatives, it's time to get back to my manuscript. Truth be told, I'm relieved to get back to life as usual. We lead a pretty happy and peaceful existence.

Today, I did an initial checked of the first 50 pages of my NaNoWriMo manuscript--the hunt for the one million typos. Only 51 pages to go before rereading and tweaking the actual story. And I still need to rework the ending.

Funny enough, I have another, shorter manuscript with the very same issue. With the November script, I have to wrap up a bunch of quirky circumstances. The shorter one just drops off. You can totally tell I just got bored and basically declared the end.

Anyway, one thing at a time. CreateSpace has offered every NaNoWriMo 2008 winner a "free proof copy" of their 2008 manuscript. So, my goal is to finish the November manuscript and send it off to CreateSpace this month. You guys hear that? This month. As in no later than 11:59 p.m. January 31.

There.

I'm committed... or should be.