So far in May, I’ve been trying to prepare for shoulder replacement surgery, getting ahead of the day job so that things would go well during my 2-3 weeks out.  Then I found out last Thursday that my surgery on the 21st has to be rescheduled. While I am bitterly disappointed, I should be able to get things back under control since I am ahead of the game in the day job.

So how have I been doing on my goals?  I’m fine on some, and far behind on others.  I’m concentrating on the half-full glass.

Writing:

Write one hour three times this past week. No, but I’m going to strive to meet this goal.

Community:

Visit my assigned blogs twice a week. I missed a week or so, but I am making it up the next two weeks.

Reply to all comments. No, but I have scheduled times to bring me back on track. I plan to catch up on my sponsor posts and guest post comments as well.

I did not reach the goal of non-blog related posts on Facebook or Twitter.  I plan to schedule these posts as well. 

Clutter:

One hour three times a week at home going through paper detritus of modern life. Done!

One hour three times a week going through electronic files–rename, delete, archive. Done! Luckily, both these tasks can be accomplished with less than full brainpower.

I also pulled, cleaned and put away all my winter clothing. I am in the process of cleaning and putting away my summer clothing, although the weather is quite volatile here lately, and I regret putting some of my winter clothes away.

Health:

Walk. Seriously. 30 minutes a day. My best lately has been three days a week.  My shoulder is a bother when walking, so I’ve taken it easy.

Follow-up on all the health issues.  I have followed up on several health issues.  There is only the surgery and one other problem to address.

Family day, no working and time with family, one day per week. Yes. Except when I was out of town on business, I spent every Saturday with my family.

Reading:

Update Goodreads at least every other week. Nope.  I need to put this back on my radar.

List and report on what I’m reading, even the dry, academic stuff. I haven’t been reading much academic stuff lately,  I’ve been up lots of nights, and read non-stop through many of them.

 For Wednesday’s check-in, I’ll list what I’ve read this past month or so.  In the meantime, please go encourage some of our participants here.

Details on various ways to help her out are here.

I took my Standard Poodle for training, so she does know how to behave.  She merely chooses to ignore me when I try to get her to do tricks.  I can see her thinking, “I’m not your trick pony!”

Have you taught your pet to do any tricks?

Reblogged from "CommuniCATE" Resources for Writers:

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In the whirlwind of writing advice, one can always find opposing viewpoints.  There are many writers who counsel writing every day, and just as many who find such strictures confining and harmful to creativity. I am one who needs to write every day; even if what I write does nothing to advance the work, it keeps me limber and creative.

Read more… 709 more words

Trying hard to reach out
But when I tried to speak out
Felt like no one could hear me
Wanted to belong here
But something felt so wrong here
So I prayed I could break away

As my theme for April, I am going to

. . . take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway

Happy Julian Calendar New Year to everyone!

My brief ROW80 check-in is here.

From Brainy Quote http://www.brainyquote.com/

In the interesting juxtaposition that often happens in life, I ran across this quotation from Eleanor Roosevelt on the same day that my academic writing group had the following topic: What does success mean for you in the context of your Work, not of the employment or study within which you do that work?”

For most academics, research ends up taking the back seat to the more immediate demands of the job: syllabi, grading, office hours, and less so, committees, administration, and University or College service.  Thus, for most of the group, “Work” equals “Research.” For me, part of “Work” is my scholarly research, but a large part of it is the “off-the-clock” writing. I do find myself chasing success in the day job, which has its merits but is not fulfilling in the same way that my Work would be. I guard against falling headfirst into that rabbit hole by reminding myself that the day job does not reflect the “real me,” but merely something that I do well that pays reasonably well

The existence of public and private selves has set up a dissonance in my life, analogous to the harmonic resonance that shatters crystal. I’ve never been good at keeping the “important, but not urgent” goals in the forefront, finding myself far more persuaded by the “urgent, but not important” that pays my bills. I tend to say, “when I have a sabbatical,” or “when I retire,” which is less and less satisfying.

I’m finally to the point where my fear of failing is less than my fear of never trying.  As for my  ROW80 goals: slow and steady wins the race. I keep falling down, but I keep picking myself up, more importantly.  Excelsior!

What does success mean for you?

Please go visit some of the participants here. We’re headed into the dreaded middle of the challenge, which is almost as boggy as the middle of a WIP.

My husband sent me this picture, knowing that I would love the confluence of books and trees.  I dream of a writer’s cabin in the mountains that would have this feel.

First I must give my mea culpa, since I disappeared off the face of the earth for two weeks. I am behind on my sponsor visits, but plan to make them up in the next 24 hours.

Several days on either side of last weekend were spent at a library conference in Seattle.  Flying across the top quarter of the country in January is tailor-made for flight delays, insomnia, and general ill-will on my part. Having conference meetings on Saturday and Sunday for which I cannot take compensatory time off makes me grumpy. I did get to see my niece who moved to Seattle a year ago, which exorcised some of the grumpiness.

Writing:

• Spend at least four hours a week on an article, in whatever configuration works for me.  Although I  usually write before work, I find that frustrating when I want to spend more time than I have between my comatose and rush-out-the-door states. Only partial success  In addition to whatever form of jet lag I had, several work-related things came due this past week.  Sigh. On a happy note, I did write the first draft of a guest post that is due the end of the month. Yay to an organized me. *throws confetti*

Community:

• As a sponsor, I will visit blogs twice a week. No success here, but I have time blocked out to catch up.
• I will reply to all comments on my blogs.  Still more to do, but time is blocked out for this task as well.
• I will spend no more than 5 hours a week on social media.  This one was easy, since I was grousing all week, and would have been horrible company.

Exercise:

• I will walk for twenty minutes an evening. Success for the most part. I walked miles on end in Seattle, and in intervening airports, so I took one evening off upon my return.
• I will continue to use the stairs. Done.
• I will look into the gym at work.  The thought doesn’t appeal, but it is handy and cheap. Still in the planning stages. I barely managed to eat lunch at work this past week. Sigh.

Personal:

• I will set aside a half-hour every evening to read.  I got nothing read in Seattle, but finished Alison Goodman’s Eona, and created a list of books by people I know through WANA and ROW for the next few weeks of reading.
• I will spend at least one hour a week contacting a friend by whatever means work best. Only partial success on this front. I’ve had some contact with some friends, but nothing in depth.
• I will have a “date night” with my husband at least twice a month. Partial success; we certainly spent several hours in airports and airplanes together!
• I will spend at least one hour a week with at least one of my kids. Done.

Please go encourage someone on the Round; all their links are here.

Academic podium in snow, January 2013

My husband took this picture out his office window; the snow of a few weeks ago has melted for the most part, and this snowfall has renewed the clean whiteness that enchants the landscape.

Kristen Lamb’s blogging course is shifting into high gear, so there will be many changes to this blog over the next few weeks. I am trying to put everything in this self-named blog, but need to transfer some of the posts I don’t want to leave behind.  I also have a growing list of posts I want to write, and will have to adjust my goals to fit some time in for them.

Also, I want to thank Claire at Word by Word for alerting me to Mslexia magazine.  Although I will probably have to content myself with the digital version, since I live in the States, I was very excited to find out about it.

Writing:

• Spend at least four hours a week on an article, in whatever configuration works for me.  Although I  usually write before work, I find that frustrating when I want to spend more time than I have between my comatose and rush-out-the-door states. Total fail.  I struggled with insomnia this week, a heavy schedule of work commitments, and a stomach bug that arrived just when everything else left my plate. I want to work on this article; I need to work on this article, and I am beyond frustrated with my inability to get to it.

Community:

• As a sponsor, I will visit blogs twice a week. I missed Wednesday’s posts, but plan to visit today.  Partial fail.
• I will reply to all comments on my blogs.  I replied to the latest set of comments, but there are more to do. Partial fail.
• I will spend no more than 5 hours a week on social media.  Done.

Exercise:

• I will walk for twenty minutes an evening. I did well at the beginning of the week, but had to work Thursday night, and that threw me off.  Partial fail.
• I will continue to use the stairs. Done.
• I will look into the gym at work. I did visit, and got the times and prices of lockers and towels.  A slow start, but a start just the same.

Personal:

• I will set aside a half-hour every evening to read.  This past week I finished Mastiff, the third in the Beka Cooper series, and started and finished Eon by Allison Goodman. I started Eona, which is the second book in the series.
• I will spend at least one hour a week contacting a friend by whatever means work best. I had lunch with Eden on Friday, which was very nice.
• I will have a “date night” with my husband at least twice a month. Partial fail; a stomach virus hit me yesterday morning and is proving hard to shake.
• I will spend at least one hour a week with at least one of my kids. Done.

Please go encourage the participants here.  We have a varied, interesting group.