On Dreaming (#12)

Sigh. Once more, procrastination and lack of confidence strike again. What I want to say, I am unable to dredge up from my mind's depths. Instead, I am going to fall back on an old stand by of this blog. Well, not quite old, because it was the subject of last week's post. But definitely a regular topic, because this is now the twelfth iteration.

But to keep this habit alive, I must inject something, anything, into this blog. So here goes.

(Art by Albert Edelfelt. Not sure I came by this man's work. The first painting below caught my attention--click here or on the image to see more of his work. The Second one came from further searching through his work--I think she's smirking. I enjoyed sifting through a lot of his other works.)

On Dreaming (#11)

I almost didn't blog today. Not that it was a bad day. There were definitely good moments. But good times can still be exhausting. Especially when it involves travel and physical excursion. By 3 pm I was already in my pajamas. In fact, it took some effort to get the fireplace going, a traditional experience on Sundays during the winter. However, at some point, I told myself that after the evening chores were completed, I needed to sit down and produce something. Anything. After all, I skipped last week's post. Today's blogging will not be what I intended at the beginning of the week. Nor will it cover my reactions and reflections of current events that arose during the week. Instead, it will be whatever I manage to pluck forth from the maelstrom of thoughts churning in my brain at this very moment.

Here goes...

(I have an affinity for Van Gogh's works, especially his self portraits.)

My Reading Habit (Part 2)

I kept this one short today. Partly because I have only forty minutes before I have to start dinner. And partly because I am not ready to share what I have been feeling these past few days. Okay, also I procrastinated. There, I said it.

(Yes, there is reading, but also, there is something about their outfits: the color, the texture, and the way they flow. I found it listed on this interesting, and amusing, website.)

Revelations (Part 2)

Looking for inspiration for tonight's post, I scrolled through older ones, looking to see what I wrote around this time last year. Well, once again, divine providence--or sheer coincidence--steered me in the right direction. On January 10th, 2021, I uploaded my reactions to events that unfolded four days prior: the January Insurrection. It also included how people, thoughts, and events emerged in my life, intertwining and coalescing like eddies of insight at the right time and place. It has happened often to me. This past week, which harbored the one year anniversary of that shameful historic event, has been no exception. 

(Not sure why, but I was inspired to search through the work of Russian painters. Through Google, I discovered Ivan Vladimirov. But I also found Vladimir Makovsky. And I could not decide between these two paintings.)

A Deep Breath (#1)

I will keep this brief.*  This blog is closing in on its second anniversary--April 5, 2022 to be exact. In the beginning, its purpose was three fold: build a habit of writing regularly, recount some of my life choices, and share some of my inner thoughts. I wanted the blog to evolve eventually beyond personal stories. My intention was to expand into other topics. The weekly checkup and vegetable gardening posts were my first attempts. They ran for some time. However, other things took priority. Namely, my commitments to my daughters' dance studio. In addition, ignoring my garden for a year did not help. Finding myself distracted, I focused on publishing once a week.

* (Addendum: Sigh. It is not very brief.)

(Ah, Edna. I shared her in my first "Weekly Checkup". Art, particularly drawing, is something else I want to focus on this year.)

On Dreaming (#10)

I want to write so many things, share so many thoughts, unravel so many riddles that plague my mind. For the moment, I am weighed down by three nights of merriment, and anchored to a comfortable recliner. I should be searching for relief from this bloating. Or a dark recess of my house in which to crawl and hibernate away the rest of this winter. Instead, pushing through the drumming of blood rushing throughout my body, aiding in much needed digestion, I type away.

In this post-holiday induced haze, I decided to write about some recent dreams. That forced me to discover the last time I shared images from my unconscious realm. May 16, 2021. That is a long time, with many dreams. Well, I read through that old post, and discovered a few things. First, it began with some half-hearted pledge to write book reviews (oh well, maybe in the new year). Second, I provided details about several vivid dreams, all of which showcased inner turmoil, including one that ended in my death. Finally, the first one I described, combined a post-apocalyptic setting, a school, and my departure from teaching. The two recent dreams that I am going to lay out involve a school. But one is set in a post-apocalyptic world, while, in the other, I am not a teacher.

(I love the original. It is beautiful and charming. Every few years, I sit down and watch it. Tried to sit through the remake. Not a fan.)

A Brief Interlude (#16)

For those who were not paying attention, I skipped last week's blog post (for those who were, thank you for noticing!). Something came up, but I cannot remember now. Maybe it was fatigue. Or perhaps disinterest. I know it was not anything serious. But, I am back. Not in full force. Not yet, at least. Christmas is only six days away, and I have a lot to accomplish.

Yet, I want to post something today, so I do not lose my way. So, here goes.

(This time it will be different. This time she won't take the ball away from me. This time I will actually get to kick it. And show the world what I can really achieve.) 

On This Thing Called Writing (#5)

Draft a 50,000 word novel within the month of November. That was the challenge I decided to undertake. For me, it was less about an end product, than about the process. Namely, sitting down each day and reaching a minimum goal of 1,700 words. There were at least six days when I failed. Three of them during the last full week. However, on most days, I exceeded my goal by a couple of hundred words. One day, I even reached 4,000. And during the last two days, I wrote about 2,300 and 3,600 words respectively, in order to cross the finish line. 

I am proud of this accomplishment.

Despite the fact that few, if any, of those words will ever see the light of day.

(Snoopy's prize winning decorated dog house is a stand in for published authors and their novels. You can probably guess who Charlie Brown is and what his special tree represent--in case you can't, it is me and my writing.)

On This Thing Called Writing (#4)

Two days remain of my NaNoWriMo challenge. This morning, after sleeping in until 7 am, I sat down and wrote just over 4,000 words. A new daily record! That also means I only need about 6,000 more words. There is no reason why I can't reach 50,000 by Tuesday. Unless I decide to give up (or something catastrophic gets in the way).   

I'm excited to see how it ends.

(This image is a metaphor for where I am at with my writing goal.)

On this Thing Called Writing (#3)

Tonight will be another short post. Mostly because I feel bloated. Also, I procrastinated. Again. With regards to my NaNoWriMo challenge, this week has been a mixed bag. While there have been some disappointing moments, overall, I am happy with my progress. 38,001 words. There are only nine days left, and I believe I am going to make it. Hopefully I do not regret my prediction. We shall see.

(This image is a metaphor for where I am at with my writing goal.)