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Wild World of Writing

Weekend in Review! (now with photos!)

Feb 6th, 2012
by gazelle.
7 comments

I feel that I had a pretty productive weekend. Friday, I left the house! And had lunch with a friend! And went to New Seasons. And then, had to rest for the remainder of the day.

Saturday was yoga, then visiting with a neighbor, then cake making!

I love to make cakes, and make very good tasting cakes. I just don’t necessarily make pretty cakes. Part of the problem was, I think, that my baking powder was at the end of its useful life, so I got poorly risen, lopsided cakes. Because they were just for me, I didn’t bother leveling them, but it did result in less pretty than hoped-for cakes. Also, I have not yet mastered the art of the dripping glaze down the sides in an artful & beautiful manner.

BUT – the cake is delicious.

 

Sunday was another busy day (well, new pregnant-Amy busy, not old Amy does lots and lots of stuff all the time-busy).

I made banana bread – two loaves; one to freeze and one to eat now.

 

I cleaned the kitchen. I helped the architect do some garden stuff. As I was doing the garden stuff, I made a discovery! The tulips are starting to poke up:

 

 

I am hoping that this week is infinitely less stressful than the last couple. I am hoping to get some swimming time in Monday, Wednesday & Friday this week. I am having an ultrasound this afternoon, so new baby pics for the bumpday update this week! (Because I know you’re dying to see grainy b&w pics of my fetus.) Actually – lots of baby stuff this week: u/s today, waterbirth class tomorrow, daycare tour on Thursday, and childbirth classes on Saturday & Sunday.

Sometime in there, I’ll need to do some school work, but I’m so close to being done! YAY!

Happy Monday, y’all!

Book Review Wednesday: The War of Art

Feb 9th, 2011
by gazelle.
3 comments

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative BattlesThe War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Our job in this lifetime is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it.”

I first became aware of this book when a former yoga teacher read passages from it in one of her classes. I immediately put it in my library queue and then forgot about it. Five months later, it finally arrived. And it was worth the wait.

This is one of the best inspiration-type books I have ever read. I would recommend this to anyone who feels that they are meant to do more than they are currently doing, but aren’t quite there yet.

The author, Steven Pressfield (Legend of Baggar Vance & others) talks about the war that (the personified) Resistance wages against Art, and how to overcome that resistance to fully realize our passions and become professionals at what we truly want to do.

Although the copy I just finished is a library book, I will be buying a personal copy soon, because I know it’s something, much like Stephen King’s On Writing that I will want to come back to again, and again when I’m feeling stuck.

In addition to offering advice on how to overcome Resistance and its creator Fear, it also has really good points on how Resistance & Fear prevent you from being a good person…

“If you find yourself criticizing other people, you’re probably doing it out of Resistance…Individuals who are realized in their own lives almost never criticize others. If they speak at all, it is to offer encouragement.”

I read a lot. This is not a secret. But it is not often that I am both entertained and inspired. Add in a good, swift, literary kick in the ass, and this book is well worth the (fairly short amount of) time it took to read.

View all my reviews

Quitter!

Dec 20th, 2010
by gazelle.
4 comments

I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t continue gazing at my own navel, looking for more fluff. I feel like the questions were all the same. So, instead of just admitting that I wasn’t doing it & moving on to blog about the stuff I normally blog about, I decided to avoid.

Which (please forgive a last bit of navel gazing here), is actually a huge problem I need to work on.

When something seems unpleasant, even if the unpleasantness will last only a moment, I tend to avoid. Until the problem completely grows & expands & is no longer a tiny bandage that needs to be ripped off, but is now a nasty, scabby wound (at least in my imagination) that will require surgical intervention. (Sorry about the gross analogy – my foot hurts today).

SO – anyways – I am going to not reverb anymore. Unless something completely catches my eye. Which, since I think in the first half of the month I gazed at every last bit of lint in my navel, seems unlikely.

****

In good news – I completed week 1, day 1 of the couch to 5K program, and although I was a wee bit sore after, it wasn’t so bad.

Tomorrow will be shoesday & then the latest brew review will be posted this week as well.

Also tomorrow? Solstice. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy for it – I am ready for some lengthening days, people!

So – back to normal around here!

Reverb Writing Prompt #15: 5 Minutes

Dec 15th, 2010
by gazelle.
1 comment

To be honest, even I, navel-gazer supreme, am getting a wee bit tired of all the navel gazing. I’m all about introspection, but this is getting too much. There need to be more fun questions (like that awesome party one). I would love to see more “describe some wacky thing” prompts. I’m starting to feel like they’re all asking the exact same thing. BUT – I am not a quitter (much to your dismay, I suspect). SO – ONWARDS & UPWARDS!

********************

Prompt: 5 minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.

Author: Patti Digh
Creative is a Verb: If You’re Alive, You’re Creative
@pattidigh

********
  • Trail running
  • Birthday bloody marys
  • Terwilliger Tuesdays
  • Naked santa party
  • Making lefse
  • Spectating the Eugene marathon
  • Brew Reviews
  • Distillery Tour
  • The architect’s 40th birthday party
  • 4th of July barbeque
  • Planting trees with Friends of Trees
  • Rooftop birthday parties in the Pearl
  • Drinks at the Vault
  • Book club discussions
  • Swimming lessons
  • My second OWS of the season (I’m really okay forgetting the first one)
  • Yoga in the park
  • Birthday lunch at VQ
  • The architect getting a job (even if it’s not the one he wants)
  • Waterfront runs with a stormy sky
  • Banks Vernonia Trail
  • Helvetia Tavern after the Banks Vernonia Trail
  • Thanksgiving Dinner
  • Halloween Spooktacular
  • Martinis & oysters overlooking Puget Sound
  • Astoria B&B Anniversary trip
  • Camping in the deluge near Mt. Jefferson
  • Cheesemaking with friends
  • Canning classes
  • Fuck dill! pickles
  • Homemade salsa
  • BRUNCHES!
  • Sitting on the patio with the architect, drinking white wine, and looking at the garden
  • Leisure Happy Hours

And that’s it for five minutes. I’m sure there are things that I would be sad about not remembering, but since the amnesia is imminent, I won’t know for too long!

Fortunately, I have such a great husband & such a great group of friends, that I will be able to continue making some fantastic memories & I know 2011 will be even better!

Reverb Writing Prompt #14: Appreciate

Dec 14th, 2010
by gazelle.
Comments are off for this post

Prompt: Appreciate. What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?

Author: Victoria Klein
27 Things to Know About Yoga
@victoriaklein

reverb10.com
*******************

This is easy! In the last year, I have come to appreciate my body and what it can do for me. I spent a lot of time having to take care of the rogue foot, and I realized how much I had taken for granted everything I was doing previously.

Oh, I want to go run 5 miles? Okay. No big.

I’d like to go for a bike ride? That’s pretty easy. Shoes, helmet, padded shorts, go!

I want to wear stilettos and meet some friends for happy hour? Which pair do I choose?

All that changed when Damian arrived. Shoes were difficult. Running was difficult. Towards the end of summer, even standing was difficult at times.

Now, as I’m slowly making my way back to previous levels of activity (I was on the trainer for 30 minutes last night, bitches!), I am realizing how happy this all makes me. I am not going to lie, people, when I finished my walk/run last Friday (at which point I ran 1 mile, in case you missed that news), I was so ecstatic with my 1 mile that I almost cried. Seriously. It was close to the level of emotion I had when finishing the marathon (although, fortunately, not the same level of pain & exhaustion).

The swimming has been a revelation.

And tonight? A real-live yoga class.

I am sure that sometime in the future, I will go back to taking all of the things for granted that my body can do effortlessly (most of the time), but I am working really hard at appreciating it all right now.

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