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 |   A blog to house my musings, curiosities, and fascinations. |
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When it came time for me to start blogging again, I found myself paralyzed. I was trapped by the belief that my blog had to be unique, that it had to have a defined theme, and that it had to be appealing to everyone. After some time scouring Google for advice, I realized that if all I did was worry and plan, I would spend forever worrying and planning and never get to writing. From that realization, I've decided to display my blog writing guidelines here for everyone to see, but especially for me to see when I come here to write. ~1~ Blog about what is appealing to YOU. Don't worry about anyone else. ~2~ Allow yourself to WRITE! Don't restrain yourself to one voice, one writing style, one genre, or one topic area. ~3~ Throw out the fear of maintaining a consistent theme. Blog about your passions, interests, fancies, inspirations, opinions, musings, curiosities, ramblings, and loves. ~4~ Explore, experiment, and have fun! So, this is my solution. A blog about anything and everything that sparks my interest.  The title is inspired by the quote at the bottom of this introduction. Everything you love, even for a short time, becomes part of you. Our experiences and perception of the world is colored by those things we love and have loved, whether those things are  or not. This blog will be a place to house those passions and curiosities. Please enjoy! "It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them, and every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are." -Anonymous ![Merit Badge in Aloha
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Only the most selfless, dedicated person would come up with an idea like an Aloha MB. But then, from all those things you do on WDC and we know you're doing out in the world, it's what we should have known you'd do. You've always been working to make things better and help people, animals, and places. Maybe the badge should have your picture so everyone knows a real example of Aloha.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Aloha-2171989_14.gif) Cover image by Jessica Woulfe
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My OctoPrep entry today was exactly the number of words I need to write each day to stay on track for Nano. I think that was the first time I actually reached that number in a single post. I've so far been cobbling together my blog entries and my OctoPrep word counts, but this time I actually got to see how long I have to dedicate to writing non stop each day. I think I haven't had the real experience yet though because I'm not writing my actual story. No offense to the OctoPrep prompts, but some are not as interesting as others and I feel I can't write enough on them. But when I actually get to write my story, I hope it will be different and I'll get to ramble on and on and on and on!  In other news, I took on another challenge  I've officially taken on the role of "Comrade Butt" at the "a very Wodehouse challenge"  and it's a perfect challenge for me! It's perfectly horrific for a perfectly horrific month! Best challenge out of all of them, in my opinion! I get to write more horror! Just like Angus told me to do!  I'm very excited to give it a go!Okay, I think that's it for now. I want to start on the Wodehouse challenge now! Maybe I can draft up a bit of a story idea and then call it a night  Take care! -Emily |
| This'll be another mishmash entry since I've done a couple things of note today. First, I added a fair bit more to my Nano novel outline. I think I have the transition from part one to part two solid. I also added a bit more to part two. Slowly coming together. I just have to remember to dedicate time to it every day so I don't get surprised when November rolls around. Then, I created a super nifty spreadsheet for handling the 30DBC official month judging. It automatically populates itself and does all the addition itself. There are even links so you can jump around in the spreadsheet  I like it when spreadsheets are pretty and functional. In fact, I'm really jealous of the OctoPrep assignment spreadsheet. Wow, that one's a doozie!Other things besides Nano that I still have to do this month include finishing my Anniversary reviews for the month and recruiting guest judges for the 30DBC. And lastly, SMs sent the proof of my special surprise  Just wait until you see this baby!  Hope your weekend was swell! -Emily |
Finally did it! I don't know how many folks actually read this (and most of you are  s anyway  ), but Wordsmitty ✍️  and I are conspiring behind y'all's backs That is all. Oh? What's that? You want to know more?  Guess you'll just have to wait and see Be patient ... |
Entry in the contest:
Syllables: 24 Lines: 4 Prompt Word: Adept Quote Inspiration: "A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor." - Franklin D. Roosevelt a flat sea does not an adept sailor make for it is the sea’s chop that demands innovation  ~ ~ ~ |
| Umm ... outline is freaking hard! What the heck, OctoPrep day 11?! You're kicking my butt... Maybe I'm putting too much pressure on myself because I'm trying to fill in every crack and hole in the story now so that come November, I won't have any hurdles left to overcome. I'm a little wary about this though because what if I solve all my novel's problems through outlining and then the story itself isn't fun to write because I know what'll happen? What I'm doing right now is just giving the story a first pass so that I can begin fitting in the elements that need to happen in the correct places so I don't miss anything when I'm actually writing in November. I'm still kind of hazy on the ending of my story too, which is freaking me out a bit ... A good thing about the outlining is that I can get a high level overview of the story from beginning to end (assuming I finish the outline  ) and be able to see where places are at risk of being slow, and where all the twists and reveals are so I can make sure to pace them correctly.Anyway, we'll see how I go. I plan to work on it regularly and try to do at least a chapter a day, and more on weekends and off days. I've learned though that in the middle especially, I have a lot of things that need to happen, but I don't quite know how they connect yet. So I've started backwards on some parts, writing out the ending of the scene first and then figuring out how I'll get to that point. It's different than anything I've done before (there are those words again), but I want to put in some good work and some good struggle now so I don't freak out in November. Oh, and I actually signed up for Nano officially! Woohoo! Haven't been placed on a team yet, but I'll have to beg some friends to sponsor me eventually. Jeff has a big goal this year, so I'm excited to jump on the train And I did some reviews today as well! Finally ... about time I got back into it. I'm not counting those reviews toward my practice word count though just to give myself more of a challenge. With this blog entry, I'm up to an average of 1,490 per day, which would be 44,697 over 30 days. Better than the last update! Getting closer to that magic number! I think in November I'll have to stop blogging though. It'll be hard since it's the official month for the 30DBC, but they'll survive without me.Ok, gotta go for today. Take care! -Emily Draft outline here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AlvhZcLv0H-9Goj8nNPld8ZJppxy7TuEQc9BJ8gB... |
| A little annoyed by what happened at work today. But before we get there, you'll need a bit of backstory. My position is funded by a grant. This means that everything I do needs to be recorded so the funders can have some assurance that the purpose of the position is being fulfilled. I have to be very conscious about where I dedicate my time so that the funders know I'm not using the money for anything they would consider a waste of staff time. That said, I'm still very early in my position, so there is some available time that I can use for peripheral activities. One of our partner organizations asked me to participate in a presentation to a local chamber of commerce, which really isn't in my job description and wouldn't be especially useful to me or fit within the terms of the grant, but I agreed anyway, mostly to keep in good terms with the partner org. I talked to my supervisor about how to make the most of the situation, and we came up with a fairly decent plan, but it was still out of my focus area, and so there was little I could talk about and still connect in some way to the grant funding. Still, I spent a fair bit of time planning my presentation and getting input from my supervisor, and I felt pretty prepared come today when the presentation was scheduled. I head over there, eat the provided lunch, and settle in to listen to the first half of the presentation that was to be given by our partner org. They were to use 20 minutes, and I was to use the last 10 minutes. Unfortunately, and here's the annoying bit, they talked the whole time! And even went over time so I literally had no time to say anything! Not only had I gotten all worked up and nervous about this damn presentation, but now I had wasted approximately 8 hours of my time, plus 2 hours of my supervisor's time for NOTHING! There was nothing I gained from being at this presentation because all I could do was beg people to come talk with me afterward if they were interested, but of course no one did. I was really pissed off that I had put all this energy into this, and now I would have to either report to the grant authority that I had wasted this time, or fudge the numbers somehow... Why did they even ask me to come if she would just use up my time!? I mean ... she even said she would flip through her slides quickly, but obviously she didn't rehearse adequately because dang, she just dragged on and on. This job really forces me to think of myself as a resource. I only have one brain and it needs to be focused on what's most important. Gaah ... At least I have tomorrow off... -Emily |
| Hey all! I did some fun things today! Well, fun if you think learning new things and growing as a human being is fun, and I'm not being sarcastic about that at all! I don't work on Tuesdays, which at first I thought would mean that I got to do nothing on my days off, but I'm realizing as an adult that I have so many other interests and activities I want to do, that spending a whole day doing nothing isn't really an option. But that's totally okay. When I have things to do that interest me and stimulate my mind, I'm so productive! In the past, if I had a day off, I would sit on my butt doing nothing and not wanting to write or anything. Now, I feel like I get so much done! I wrote my OctoPrep entry this morning (a nice long one too). Then I went volunteering with the service poochies. Then when I got home, I wrote my final grade assignment for my Nature Drawing and Journaling class that was this past weekend. It ended up being about three pages. I also scanned a few journal pages to include with my submission to the professor. All of that is here: "ENED 7635 - Nature Drawing & Journaling" And now, I'm finding time to write my blog entry too! I even put on the pressure cooker for roast. The smell is filling the house, rain is pattering outside, dog is curled up beside me - perfect perfect! Now I just need to squeeze in time to review Take care, Emily |
| This is just a little update on my OctoPrep month. I think I had a great breakthrough today! The prompt was to think about the climax, which I hadn't put hardly any thought into before. I tend to fly by the seat of my pants when writing stories. I start off with an interesting concept then journey along with the characters as they discover the world and eventually (maybe) lead to a climax and conclusion. Perhaps that's why I always found it difficult to write long stories/novels. I could handle short scenes, but tying them all together was my problem. I'm really excited about the discoveries I'm making through this prepping challenge! I've never ever done something like this before, and it is really making me eager for November! I'm able to keep up with posting every day (almost) and catching up when I miss a day. That's really thanks to two things - 1.) my work schedule being Monday, Wednesday, and Friday allows me free days during the week to catch up or get ahead if I need to and 2.) These nifty things called "OwnZone Headphones." They connect wirelessly to the TV so my man can watch TV while I sit in the same room and write! It's really super great because I want to spend time with him, but I cannot write with distracting background voices. This way, we can both be together, but doing our own things and not bothering each other. It's revolutionary! As for my word count, with this blog post, I'm at 10,744 for the month of October so far (only counting OctoPrep entries and blog entries, nothing I write while at work and no emails, forum posts, etc). That breaks down to approximately 1,343 words per day, which, if I keep up this pace, would put me at 40,290 words over 30 days. Not too bad for my first try, but I'm really glad I'm practicing so I can see how long I need to dedicate to writing every day to hit my Nano goal. Anyways, that is all for tonight! Take care! -Emily Here's my OctoPrep stuff book, btw, in case anyone is interested:
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Entry in the contest:
Character Count: 138  Second Place!"I wish I could play football like you did in your day," my grandson said. And I wished those days weren't hidden behind a concussive fog. ~~~ |
| I’m writing this on my phone, so I apologize in advance if there are any weird autocorrect mistakes I’m sitting in the parking lot right now before my “Nature Drawing and Journaling” class with a whole hour to spare because I thought it started at 8am instead of 9am Oh well, I figured I could use the few minutes to write an entry for today I really don’t know what to expect with this class. I like journaling but suck at drawing so we’ll see what happens there. I think there may only be five other folks in this class, and I assume most (if not all) will be older than me. It is also quite cold today and the wind is whipping across the restored prairie island in the middle of the parking area. The email said we would be outside, so I brought my bundle up gear, haha!I expect intros for the class will involve us students sharing what we hope to learn from the class, so I’d better do some thinking now about my answer. Working in non-formal eduction, I’m always looking for quick ways to engage the public and especially children in STEAM activities that promote scientific thinking as well as engage their creative minds. I hope I’ll get some inspiration from this class about some fun ways to do that as well as practice connecting with my own curiosity. I think that sounds good Okay, so writing that took up ten minutes... maybe I’ll browse WDC for a bit Talk later!-Emily |
Write about the person that has had the biggest impact on your life. Oooh, there are several people I could name for this prompt. There's my parents of course, my professors in school, my first boss (who is now a very dear friend), my four-legged family, my grandparents. I think the person I'm going to pick though is someone I've known all her life. My sister. She was born when I was 5 years old. She was very small when we moved to Hawaii, and I remember that trip vividly because it was only my mother, sister, and I traveling alone. It must have been my first experience with being rushed and nearly being late for our flight, and I realize now that looking back on that trip, it must have sparked my own fear of being late and hyper-awareness of time. Going through security, my mom had to carry my baby sister and they got pulled aside for the full pat-down/detector wand treatment. Like a mother with a baby would be a threat on an airplane, come on... Anyway, after it was over, I had to quickly put on my grown-up pants (being the 7 year old I was) and carry our bags while running after my mother carrying my sister so we wouldn't miss the plane. That's my first real vivid memory of my baby sister. Growing up on a farm in Hawaii was liberating in many ways. One profound way was that we didn't have any neighbors, to there was never any worry about my sister and I playing alone in the fields for hours and hours. We built forts, hid in the guinea grass, and had a childhood I think many kids nowadays lack. And the fact that my baby sis was naked for most of our play was of no consequence to me. We had zero worries in the world. We have this great picture now of my sister playing with the cows in their drinking trough (really just a kiddie pool) wearing nothing but her birthday suit (and she was 8 or 9 at the time probably). When she was a little older, we played raucously on the trampoline. Once while we were blowing off steam before heading to the airport, we decided on a foolish plan. I, being the older and heaver sister, would double bounce her as high as she would go on and we would see if she could see over the net. And damn, she flew! And then ... well ... then she landed directly on her arm and broke her wrist. Four hours before we were supposed to get on a plane. This was the start of me seeing just how strong she really was. She endured the entire travel day from Hawaii to MN (10 hours) with nothing by a splint. I had always been jealous of her artistic abilities. She was a musician, a painter, and a sketcher with abilities far beyond anything I could ever do. She filled all the walls of her room with her original artwork, and was generous with her gift as well, making art for family members. This progressed eventually to giving Henna tattoos, where she grew up quickly hustling tips at hotel pools and beaches. This was a time where she grew up quickly - her form filled out, and she became taller with more pronounced hips and lips - so even though she was only 15, 16, she played up being 18 and flirting with drunk vacationers for hundreds of dollars in tips per hour. Needless to say, my reserved self was beyond jealous. Eventually, she began designing her own tattoos, and when she was old enough (16 in HI with parent's consent), she bought them for herself. Each one was large, about the size of my hand with all the fingers splayed out, but each meant something to her and I believe were symbols of her past and ongoing struggles. She now has five in total. Her self expression and identity is inspiring and infectious. Though mild-mannered and shy in most situations, her body is her canvas of expression and she takes pride in that. I will not describe the deeply personal challenges she has faced, but she has always been an inspiration to me for how strong and courageous she has always been from such a young age. She's found the strength to remain confident in herself through an eating disorder and harassment for her gender identity. I am so proud to have her as a sister and even though she is younger, she is someone I look up to every day.  |
Entry in the contest:
Syllables: 24 Lines: 9 Prompt Word: Writhe  10/6/2018 Winning Entry!As a snake writhes his lies eat his unconscious mind tug at his lips in a constant urge to come clean ~ ~ ~ |
"I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart" I've always liked this song, particularly for the repeated phrase (copied above). Having been in a couple rocky, chaotic relationships in my short dating past, I can say finding my sweetheart felt like coming home. I truly felt like my heart finally belonged somewhere and belonged with someone else more than any other person I had known in my life, excepting my parents and sister. But this feeling of belonging was different than the familial feeling of belonging. This other person cared about me for no other reason than because I was me. To think that I met him just over four years ago is mind boggling. Our first date was to something called "Woofstock," which is like a block party for dogs and their people. We didn't even bring a dog but went anyway. He bought be a collar and treats to send home to my puppy back in Hawaii (picture here: "Buddy" ) and that's when I knew he must care more than the average guy, ha! Anyway, four years later and we're now living together and have a doggie of our own! A little Shih tzu, not the breed of dog I envisioned myself having, but we rescued her and she is the perfect first dog for us together. Absolutely loving and such a snuggle-bug. Neither of us thought we would like a small dog, but she easily wormed her way into our hearts.The only thing that could make this situation better was one of those little metal circles that people wear on their fingers I'd like one of those very much  Hug your sweethearts!  Emily**Written for: "Note: 48-HOUR CHALLENGE : Media Prompt Deadl..." |
    Norb, Norb, NORB!! Your book arrived!! Fivesixer   Perfect timing, too. Now I can really procrastinate prep month and any other "commitments" I'm supposed to be fulfilling! Thank you for the kind words you wrote in the cover as well. I promise I'll be around more from now on Off to read I go!  Em |
What are your goals for October? Personal or professional, big or small...doesn't matter! We want to encourage you! So! The Unofficial 30DBC is ON!! Entries are rolling in, comments are popping! I'm loving it!  I can't promise I'll blog to the prompt every day, but I figured I'd better give the first one a go at least. I kind of mentioned it in a recent post here: "Reflection on September" , but I prefer looking back on accomplishments rather than looking ahead That way, if I don't get something done, I'm not disappointed I'm also a pretty laid back gal (island-time)  , so planning out my life isn't really my speed. I like slower.  If something comes up that I want to do, I'll do my best to do it, but if I try to do it and it's not lining up, I try not to pressure myself to do it anyway. That way, I'm able to focus on those things that actually bring me happiness. I'm definitely not over giving up on something if it isn't making me happy. That said, I like keeping my plate full of happy things, and this month is no different!First, October is Nano Prep month ("October 2018 NaNo Prep Challenge" ), and this is the first time I've actually committed to it! Getting back into WDC has reignited my muse , so this should be no sweat. However, I'm still nervous! I'm feeling just a tad out of my league, but I'm getting better at setting a timer and just writing, writing, writing until that timer runs out. I figure that's how I'll handle Prep month. Hopefully some nuggets of good writing come out - no promises though  Reviewing - I managed to be the most credited reviewer last month (due in no small part to the Birthday celebrations and contests), and I'd like to continue reviewing more. These forums are great to remind me to do that: "Invalid Item" and "Anniversary Reviews" Contests - enter some? Hopefully? Can't promise this ... need to see how bruised my fingers are after prepping... Other WDC stuff - commission a MB (finally)! Stay tuned Personal life - crushing grad school "Environmental Education Certificate" is on my ongoing list. I plan to ride this writing wave and get ahead in those essays this month to free up November for Nano.There's probably more I'm forgetting, but those are the major items Take care everyone!-Emily |
So, um, I'm blushing so much right now. I just received the most glowing review I have ever received for a Horror piece I wrote a while back from none other than Angus  , the Prince of Horror himself! (I called him the King of Horror, but he quickly corrected me - Stephen King is the King )In the past I had received moderate to poor reviews (3.5 stars and no pointers for improvement? ), so I kind of thought the story was just average. Average is fine - I like being average, lol. But I figured I wouldn't write any other similar pieces if it wasn't my strong suit.But then, Angus cut right into my shy little heart and dug something out that had been buried. His review: Review of "Pet Me, Master"  made me reconsider everything I thought I knew about my writing ability. If such a prolific horror writer thought this highly of a piece of my horror writing, then what the hell am I doing waiting to write more?I'm honestly still bowled over about it. I tried to settle down a bit before writing this so I wouldn't gush all over my keyboard (that's messy to clean up), but I don't think I've come down from my high yet. With phrases like "fantastic," "professional," "flawless," "grinning from ear to ear," "shaking my head in awe," standing ovation," "mind boggling" and being compared to the King himself ... well ... I don't know what to do with myself really. Maybe sleep will help. And of course then he went and embarrassed me in public too: "Note: I just read one of the best short stories of hor..." Thank you to Cobwebby Space Reader Reindeer  as well for your kind comments - I hope you're able to get to sleep Anyway, I think what I'm trying to say here is: Thank You! Really, really, thank you.  With the little audience I have here, I'd love if you would please take a moment to give Angus a review. I don't think I'll ever be able to truly repay him, but ... shut up! You're gushing! Sorry, sorry! But if you'd like to read my story, I'd be humbled
Go review something! See you in October! -Emily |
September was a good month for me Of course, the birthday celebrations were a fantastic way to start the month off, and it didn't slow down from there. Below is a list of my September successes related specifically to my writing journey and personal growth  Started my new job Started grad school Entered 11 different contests Wrote 2 new short stories Wrote 18 new poems Wrote 2 new chapters of a new project Committed to NaNo Prep and NaNo! Sent 6 letters through the Snail Mail Group Wrote 87 reviews!If I had seen that list in August, I would be so daunted and so intimidated, I don't believe I could do it. I'm so proud I did though I'm also proud to say that I've posted something in my blog every day (minus one) since I started blogging again! That's 46 days in a row! October may be a bit more of a challenge because I'll be focusing on my Prepping, but maybe I'll pop in here to let you know I posted over there 
That is all See ya around! -Emily |
Entry in the contest:
Syllables: 24 Lines: 4 Prompt Word: Kismet Communication is hard with all those non-verbal cues, but if Kismet could do it - you can too! Author's Note ▼ |
Entry in the contest:
Syllables: 24 Lines: 6 Prompt Word: Foliage dipped in lavish copper and gold is Nature’s brush eager to drape her foliage in finery  ~ ~ ~ |
| This one's gonna be a bit of a rant, so if you like that kind of stuff, please read on. Otherwise, avert your eyes now So, I've started my first online graduate school course. It originally weren't supposed to begin until today, but the professor opened it early and everyone's been posting introductions and their first assignments. Anyway, all students have to enter their immunization records, which is required by law when enrolling in school. So, even though my classes are all online, I still have to input those records. And this already will be a little bit of a process because my immunizations were all done by my parent's insurance while I was still in school, and all my records are back in Hawaii. And of course, this particular insurance doesn't have any type of online system, so I have to fill out a physical piece of paper and mail it to my mother who had to bring it in person to the office. Thankfully, I was ahead of schedule and had my request mailed back in August. My mother dropped it off in the last week of August. They didn't give her any indication when the records would be emailed to me, but they did give her a number to call to check on the status of delivery. So, I waited and waited and waited. Until yesterday when I finally decided to call the number to see what the heck was up that I hadn't gotten my records yet. The lady said it was delivered to my email on September 10th (two weeks ago), so I should check my email and check my junk folder. I said ok and hung up. I looked and looked through my mail. Through my spam folder. Through my junk. I searched for the address it would have come from. I looked in my trash in case I deleted it by accident. Nothing. So I called back (I hate calling people, especially medial people) and she said she would send another one, but just be patient. So I said ok, and forgot about it until later that night when I checked my email. And I had received something! Hurray! So, I clicked into the secure link, created an account as it requested, and then it said: "Congratulations, your account has been created. For your security, this link is no longer valid." Damn! What?! I called back late at night (it is five hours earlier in Hawaii so it wasn't late for them), and the lady's like: Oh yeh, the link expires after 14 days. WTH?!! So I said: Ok, can you send me a new link then? And she said yes, and I was pissed, so I hung up and went to sleep. When I woke up this morning, finally, the email arrived and I was able to download my records, the full 100 pages of records  What a headache. But, in the end, I found the section about immunizations and entered all those dates into the school system. Whew ... |
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