check in: ten goals for oh ten

First of all, thanks for the comments on my last post. Y'all are the nicest friends a lady could have, and I appreciate you indulging my moments of self loathing. I am happy to inform you that I am feeling 100 times better today.

And since I'm feeling so much better, I thought it would be a good time to review my ten goals for oh ten and see how far I've come during the first half of the year. Also, checking in now gives me over six months to get cracking on the goals that have since remained untouched. With that said, I'm actually doing pretty well!

Goal 1: Get Published. I did this! One of my short stories has been accepted for publication by LIT, which is nothing to shake a stick at. I am also sending out work fairly regularly, and getting rejections in the mail on a weekly basis. (This, by the way, is a good thing. It denotes chutzpah, stubbornness and perseverance, all of which are vital qualities for Writers to possess.

Goal 2: Run a marathon. Done and done. 

Goal 3: Complete a century ride. Currently getting back on the bike and planning to sign up for the Hotter'N'Hell Hundred in August. And, since I am not moving to North Carolina, I can also do the Pineywoods Purgatory for the third year running riding. (Har, har.)

Goal 4: Cook (almost) every recipe from Veganomicon. Believe it or not, I am steadily working through this gigantic cookbook. I am probably half way done, and try to cook at least one or two new things a week. I'll have to step it up if I'm going to finish the book by December!

Goal 5: Have at least one adventure per month. January was the second half of our New York trip; February was the marathon; March was our Oregon adventure; April is... um... damn it. It's been a pretty quiet month. Oops.

Goal 6: Get finances under control once and for all. My credit card is so close to being paid off, and I'm actually putting a little bit of money in my savings each month. Soon I will have nothing but twenty five years worth of student loan payments! Yay?

Goal 7: Clear the clutter from my home, my life and my living areas. Major progress has been made on this goal! We are having a huge yard sale in May, and even Nathan has been gung-ho about getting rid of the stuff we don't use/need. So exciting!

Goal 8: Learn to brew beer. No progress to report at this time.  Hopefully by the fall.

Goal 9: Discover and embrace my personal style. Working on it. This past weekend I started wearing my dresses again. It's so much easier to be fashionable when the weather is nice!

Goal 10: Read 25 books before 2011. I am currently at six books, which means I am behind schedule but not by much. I am really determined to reach this goal, as I fell woefully short in 2009 (I topped out at 15 books - so depressing!)

Overall, I am quite pleased with my progress. I have good goals for the year and I'm on track to achieving just about all of them. Which just goes to show that it doesn't matter where you are, but what you do with what you have. Also, that you always have more than you think. I promise.

how to ruin your morning

Step one: Waste time on Facebook, clicking through photos of acquaintances from college, forgotten friends from high school. Notice someone looks like they are having a good time, living a fashionable life in a hip city with a cool job. Google this person and hope they don't check their stats because seriously, who else lives in Nacogdoches? See that their life looks pretty awesome. Notice they have the job you want. Read about how they published a book of photography. Gaze in envy at their roof top herb garden and Saturday night gallery openings.

Step two: Berate yourself for not having your dream job, for not even really trying to get your dream job. Think about how you don't take risks, how you are buried in debt and are thus not free to take risks. Curse the fact that you still have not written a book, have only one published story to your name, and you still don't have a goddamn bed frame. Worry that you will never accomplish anything BIG or IMPORTANT for as long as you live.

Step three: Take a series of deep breaths and calm yourself down. Remind yourself that you have accomplished a lot. So what if you live in East Texas and not Park Slope. So what if you spend your weekends at the Farmers' Market and not a vegan coffee shop, sipping on soy lattes and dining on tofu scramble. This may not be the life you envisioned, but isn't it cool and different and weird in it's own way? Isn't it?

Step four: Click on that person's website a second time (really hoping they don't check their stats, because seriously - Nacogdoches? Twice?) and examine their resume. Think about how their job might not be as perfect as you dream, but consider ways you might change your own circumstances. Decide that you are not a failure, but a work in progress. Tell yourself that you are so young, and have so much time to accomplish things, but remind yourself that you should probably start now. One more series of deep breaths. Close the windows. Open a blank document.

Step five: Begin, again.

recipe: quinoa salad with black beans and mango

A word about quinoa: it is not a grain, but a seed. I know - I was just as shocked as you, but I have since made my peace and even - yes, it's true - embraced this fact. From Wikipedia:

In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%), making it a healthy choice for vegetarians, vegans and athletes. Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.

Luckily, you do not have to go to space to enjoy the many benefits of quinoa. You can make this delicious salad and enjoy them right now! This dish comes from my number one favorite cookbook, Veganomicon, but since it's already posted on the Internet I can, in good conscious, share it with you!

Note: this dish is great for when the heat makes you want to poke your own eyes out rather than turn on the stove. Prepare the quinoa in a rice cooker while you prep the rest of the ingredients, mix everything together and bam! Dinner is served.

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango (from Veganomicon) 

1 mango, peeled and diced small
1 red pepper, seeded and diced as small as you can get it
1 cup chopped scallion
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled
1 1/2 cups black beans, drained and rinsed (a 15-ounce can)

Directions: 
Combine the mango, red pepper, scallions, and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Add the red wine vinegar, grapeseed oil, and salt and stir to combine. Add the quinoa and stir until everything is well incorporated. Fold in the black beans. Serve immediately or let it sit for a bit to let the flavors meld.

back on the bicycle

I am now officially training for my Olympic length triathlon on July 18th. So far, I've been loosely following my training plan while focusing on gaining back the cycling strength I lost over the long, cold winter. Since October, I've been on four 20+ mile bike rides - all of them in the last two weeks. It seems everyone took the winter easy, so we'll all be working up to 50 mile rides together. Also, as I'm diving back into cycling head first (probably not the best metaphor...) I'm taking it easy with everything else. I need to do something nice for my body before it completely rebels.

For a small town whose motorists seem intent on picking off cyclists, Nacogdoches has a pretty sweet cycling community. The Nacogdoches Bicycle Club hosts organized rides two evenings a week; the local Bike Shop rides three mornings a week; and both groups ride on Saturday mornings. The evening rides are pretty much my favorite thing ever. I don't like to exercise after work, but there is something about a twenty mile ride that feels less like working out and more like decompressing after a long day at the library. Also, my leg muscles are gaining definition way faster than they did while training for the marathon, which is interesting and pleases my inner narcissist.

On Sunday, Nathan and I went on our own bike ride. We took his GPS and rode ten miles out on FM 1638, added a few side streets and detours, and then turned back the way we came to make 23 miles, total. It was a beautiful day and a lovely ride - lots of rolling hills, lots of longhorn cattle basking in the shade, lots of wide open spaces and short, shrubby trees and bushes. It's crazy how quickly East Texas can go from a small sized urban-like area (IE, North Street) to secluded ranches and quiet county roads. And I love how, on the back of a bicycle, you can watch those changes, feel those shifts, as you move through them. I saw a lot of things I wanted to photograph, but didn't bring my camera. I think I'll take my iPhone out next week and see how that works. 

My legs were tired when we were done, my thighs burning something fierce. I am looking forward to the day when I can ride for hours and feel strong until the end. Soon, my friends. Soon!

a weekend in nacogdoches

on making time

"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein."~ H. Jackson Brown, and one of my favorite quotes.

It goes without saying that I like having goals. I like checking things off a list, I like planning ahead, I like knowing what we're having for dinner on any given night so the night before, I can make the cornbread or defrost the beans in advance. In the end, this makes my life simpler, leaves time for other, less practical, more creative and enriching things. That's the idea, anyway. Except lately it's not really working.

Lately, I have no time at all. I have two big things that I want to accomplish during the week: exercising/training, and writing. The problem is that I like to do everything first thing in the morning. I have tried to change my habits, alter my nature, but so far it hasn't worked. I am my best in the morning, and thus have been forced to decide which pursuits get my best.

The last few weeks, this has been training. I love waking up at 5:30 and going for a run. The pool where I swim is only open at 6:30 two days a week. But I also love evening yoga classes and going for a 20 mile bike ride after work. And on the weekends there all the things I didn't have time for during the week - grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning, planting the basil that has been sitting on my porch in a too-small container for three weeks now (!). Not to mention family, friends, and my social life. It's a tiny bit overwhelming.

Obviously, I need to quit my job and become a full time writer. Unfortunately, that isn't exactly possible right now. So I guess I need to relax with some of my other pursuits. Maybe train myself to run in the evenings, or on my lunch break? Maybe I need to watch less Battlestar Galactica, or go to the coffee shop with my laptop so I'm not tempted to fold laundry or rearrange my closet instead of writing. Maybe I need to be more efficient when I do things, and relax about the things that don't get done. I read this today and I quite liked it. 

A monk told Joshu, “I have just entered the monastery. Please teach me.”
Joshu asked, “Have you eaten your rice porridge?
The monk replied, “I have eaten.”
Joshu said, “Then you had better wash your bowl.”
At that moment the monk was enlightened.

Maybe I just need to be enlightened, and then it will all fall into place. Maybe.

every day is earth day. seriously.

Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, a day which is supposed to remind us that the Earth is here, we live on it, and we should appreciate and protect it. That's all fine and dandy, except for the fact that we need a special day to think about personal responsibility as it relates to our environment in the first place. It's sort of like Black History Month and Women's History Month - black people and women exist year round, so shouldn't we pay attention to their achievements every day? You would think. Alas, the world is not perfect (though I do believe it's working on it) and I suppose these steps are in the right direction. Therefore, in honor of the Earth (and not this particular day) here are some easy ways to live more sustainability for the rest of your life. Because, seriously - the rest of your life is what it's going to take.

•  Eat Less Meat. I'm saying you have to be a vegan (though veganism can be very tasty!) but cutting back on your meat consumption is an easy way to have an immediate impact on your planet. According to Environmental Defense, if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than a half-million cars off U.S. roads. That's a lot of cars! To get started, take part in Meatless Mondays, or read this post about 7 Steps to Eating Less Meat Now.
  
  
• Ride Your Bicycle. Not only is it good for the environment, it's good for your ba-donk-a-donk, or whatever the kids are calling it these days.
  
  
• Pay Attention to Packaging. Imagine you are at the grocery store. You can purchase either a bunch of carrots held together by one blue rubberband, or the same amount of carrots in a plastic bag. Which do you choose? The rubberband! Less packaging AND you can use that rubber for just about anything. Also, I have been buying dried beans and soaking them instead of buying canned. It's way cheaper and creates way less waste, and trust me - it is not hard or time consuming AT ALL. Definitely worth it.
  
  
• Showerpooling. Enough said.
  
  
• Be Thrifty. One of the nice things about "going green" is that it is not expensive. In fact, the "green" choice is usually the cheaper one. This might be hard to believe, especially as you're being shilled a million and one "green" products and asked to replace all your appliances, cleaners, and clothing with their "green" counterparts. This is what happens when capitalism gets a hold of a perfectly nice idea and tries to make a buck off of it. To be "green" all you really need to do is use less, buy less, and create less waste. You'll be surprised at how much more you end up with! 

 From Indexed.

Those are my top tips for giving the Earth a hand, today and every day. Do you have any to add?

recipe: summer strawberry cake

If I were trapped on an island and surrounded by devastatingly handsome men, but could only eat one food for the rest of my life, and that food was strawberries? I would be totally fine, I promise, BRING ON THE DEVASTATINGLY HANDSOME MEN ISLAND!

Seriously though - I love strawberries, especially in the spring, and especially when I buy them at my local farmers' market. What's not to love? Sweet, delicious and one cup contains 150% of your daily vitamin C while clocking in at just 50 calories!

Strawberries are admittedly less healthy when served atop a cake, but hey - we do what we can. And as this cake is frosting-free, we can easily pretend that it's totally good for you. Right? Right! Now get thee to a kitchen and bake this cake immediately!

Summer Strawberry Cake (adapted from NYAM)

3 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons ground flax seed 1 1/2 cup lukewarm water
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup oil
2 cup white sugar
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved
4 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

1. Spray an 9" x 13" pan with baking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon into a bowl and set aside.

3. Combine flax seed meal with the warm water in a large bowl. Whisk the mixture vigorously for about 30 seconds or until it thickens up to a consistency similar to beaten eggs.

4. Mix in the vanilla extract and oil, then beat in the sugar until everything is well combined (I used a hand mixer on a low speed.)

5. Stir in the sifted flour mixture until a smooth batter forms, then spread the batter into the prepared pan.

6. Place the strawberries, skin-side up, over the batter.

7. Bake the cake in the center of a preheated oven for about 30 minutes (my oven is a fast cooker, so you may want to check yours to make sure it's finished).

8. Allow the cake to cool completely before dusting with confectioners sugar. Enjoy!

the art of blogging: part three

This was originally going to be a three part series about blogging, but the ideas and questions just keep coming! Therefore, I'm going to keep writing parts of this for as long as it stays interesting. And if it's not interesting to you, fear not! Delicious vegan recipes and more videos of Seamus coming soon! (Parts one and two are here and here.)

My good friend finn (who has been with me since the blogging beginning - we met in Diaryland!) asked some great questions in my last two posts. Rather than answer in the comments, I will try to answer them here, as part three in my Art of Blogging series. 

The Personal is Public

From finn:

i'm curious about your feelings towards [public blogs vs private blogs], since this has always been a public blog. also, does the difference between "real" writing & blogs have anything to do with time/freshness & how people tend to not go back & read everything on a blog, but just start where they find it? that seems to be another way that online writing is less tangible than off-line. not only is not handled the same, but it seems like old entries just disappear.

It's true that my blog is about as public as you can get. I use my real name, I name my location, and I am fully aware that many people (friends, family, co-workers) read these words. While that influences what I write to a degree, it's usually not a problem. For me, writing is theraputic. It's how I relate to and understand the world around me, how I work through my problems. The difference is that I don't do that on my blog - I do it in my fiction. When I write short stories, I am 100 times more honest  and willing to bare my soul than when I write non-fiction, blog or tweet. I need the distance of fiction to get closer to myself. For me, blogging and writing are two entirely different animals, and I don't feel compromised by the confines of either.

I love the observation that finn makes, about how when someone starts reading a blog they rarely go back to the beginning. I'm not sure this makes blogging less tangible. Blogging is, by its very nature, writing in the moment, for the moment. Entries don't disappear, but the writing that comes today and tomorrow builds on past entries and are informed by them. I don't reintroduce Seamus and Nathan every time I mention them, but over time my readers come to know them anyway. Blogging builds a familiarity, and this is where that sense of community comes in. I don't blog for strangers - I blog for an audience that knows who I am, how I live and what I'm like. And if they begin as strangers, they won't be strangers for long.

Writing Evolves, and So Do We

From finn:

sometimes it feels like [my writing] has changed for the better (less need to share EVERYTHING i do with some mysterious audience), but often i miss writing all the time, & writing more poetically. it's like as the number of journals & blogs increased somehow the focus of them shifted - like maybe just the act of "posting something on the internet" wasn't as artistic in itself anymore? i'm not sure.

I definitely think blogging has changed over the years. When I first started, I posted daily, and I wrote "poetically" - metaphors, descriptive sentences, the whole shebang. My posts were more prose poems than a recording of what I did, felt, or ate. And then blogs blew up, everyone had one, and suddenly describing the sunrise while coming off a wine hangover wasn't enough. I feel like the trend now is to offer something to your readers - something more than your poetic thoughts. So many blogs have themes and bullet points, tips on how to be happier, more fashionable, better organized. I read some of these blogs, but I can't help but feel they are written in a way that encourages skimming - surface level writing that requires cursory reading, crafted more for Google rankings than a desire to connect with others. One of the golden rules of blogging is to avoid large blocks of text. "Break it up with some photos," the Powers that Be advise. "Use bullet points to separate your thoughts." "No one reads long posts anymore." That's true, but it's also a shame. If the writing is good, if I'm pulled in to it, I will read a longer post (though I do like photos too, as you can see!). It feels real to me - more real than a "how to throw a Lost themed party" or "100 ways to be happy."

I suppose this is what I'm trying to figure out. How do I expand my reader base and balance their needs and desires with my own needs and my own desire to express myself in an honest and authentic way? Can I still do that through my blog, or has blogging evolved past the point where that is possible?

Life is not a series of bullet points, and neither is my blog. Maybe that makes me antiquated and maybe it means my blog will never have thousands of readers. That's okay. I've got a nice little community right here, and that's enough for me. For now, anyway. ;)

weekend recap - 80's edition

Friday! The highlight of this past weekend was definitely the Surprise 80's Dance Birthday Party that we threw for our friend Bryan.We held the party in Amy and David's awesome backyard, which is quickly becoming a trend. There was a ton of good food, lots of dancy 80's music (which led to lots of 80's dancing!), and one very loud SURPRISE! And guess what? Bryan was totally surprised!

You can tell it's the 80's because of the bandanna on David's wrist.

An awkward number of people told Nathan he should wear his hair like this every day. I am not so sure.

I am less 80's, more "how many colors can I cram into one outfit?" I also dubbed myself "Sporty 80's," much like a Spice Girl, but without the... um... spice.

Now these kids know how to do the 80's right. They put the rest of us to shame!

Alf, I thought you were back on the wagon?! Sigh.

Because you can never have enough faux-artsy pictures of Shiner Bock bottle caps! (Or can you? Shush, I don't want to know.) 

Saturday! We woke up early, ate a quick breakfast, and to the Bike Shop, as we planned to do the Saturday morning ride with the group. Much to our surprise, no one was there! We decided to quickly ride to coffee shop, where another local group was supposed to meet at the same time. No one there either! We ended up biking home and, as it was supposed to rain anyway, decided to drink coffee on the porch for an hour and then head to yoga. This proved to be a wise decision. After yoga, we visited the Farmers' Market, where we had the pleasure of frequenting Merci's World Cuisine.

Merci and her husband Tracy are old Nacogdoches friends - they co-founded the Nacogdoches Rollergirls, which basically ruled my life for two years. Merci's World Cuisine is their latest project, and I'm so glad. This weekend they served up a Cajun inspired menu. I sampled the red beans and rice, and they were out of this world. The perfect way to refuel after a night of 80's dance moves and a tough yoga class.

The plates are tree-free and the spoon is made of sugar!  Yet another reason to get your grub on at Merci's!

Sunday! It rained on and off all day and we skipped riding/running again. I didn't feel too guilty - especially since I had a ridiculously productive day at home. We deep cleaned the apartment - vacuuming, dusting, the fridge, EVERYTHING! We also - and this is huge - cleaned out Nathan's closet. We're planning to have a yard sale in the next few weeks and I can't wait. I love getting rid of clutter but it's hard when I live with someone who saves everything because one day he will use it in a project/it could help defend us from the zombies.

Our reward for all this cleaning and organizing and purging? Three episodes of LOST and two vegan pizzas. I decided to branch out from my usual tomato-based sauce and try a pesto pizza. It was good! I love pizza, especially when I make it at home - an easy way to get a ton of veggies and endlessly customizable. Also: delicious. Three cheers for pizza!

That pretty much sums up my weekend. How was yours?

a dream deferred

As I'm sure you all know by now, I have spent the last three weeks biting my nails as I waited to hear whether the University of North Carolina-Greensboro would be able to offer me any funding, which would decide whether or not I would attend their MFA program this fall. Yesterday, I finally heard and friends - it is not good. They were only able to fund one fiction student this year, and that fiction student was not me. Because I am not willing to pay for this particular degree with loans, I had to defer my acceptance. It was a heartbreaking choice, but I know that it was the right one to make.

Luckily, I've got a great and supportive community of writing colleagues and professors right here in Nacogdoches. Plan B is a solid one - I will work with my two favorite professors to put together a kick-ass and well-researched list of schools to which I will apply next year; I will refine my writing sample and personal statements and get them critiqued by as many people as possible; I will continue sending out work and stacking my resume with publications; and above all else, I will write. I don't need to be in an MFA program to be a writer. I AM a writer, and the MFA that I eventually get will only help me in my quest to become a better at the thing I love most.

Plan B also means staying in Texas for another year, which is fine with me. While I was looking forward to moving to North Carolina (we were going to ride our bikes there! sigh.) this is a good time to be in Nacogdoches. Two of my good friends are having babies this fall, and one friend has a newborn that I have not yet cuddled nearly enough, I'm just getting into the East Texas racing scene (Houston Marathon 2011, y'all!), I can continue to host the Literary Reading series, I make decent money, the living is cheap, and Nathan and I will have plenty of time to finish paying off my credit card and build up a little nest egg before embarking on our next adventure.

And with that, we come to end of the 2010 MFA Application Season. Thanks for following along, and for all your support and kind words along the way. Until next year!

the art of blogging: part two

This is Part Two of a mostly one-sided and largely narcissistic conversation about blogging. You can read Part One here. 

In my last post on this subject, I laid some questions on the table. In this post, I will try and answer them. Also, since my first post I've done some major redesigning to ye olde blog, which I'm feeling pretty good about. Hence, don't be surprised if my thoughts are more lighthearted today than they were on Monday. :)

What is the best way to relate myself and my experiences in a way that makes them fodder for others, in a way changes someone's circumstances for the better?

I fancy myself a writer, and as such I believe the key to any successful blog is, first and foremost, good writing. I don't care how exciting your life is or how valuable your stories are - if you can't communicate in an effective way, in a way that evokes emotion and sincerity, I will soon tire of you. This goes for personal blogs, obviously, but also for photography blogs, fashion blogs, food blogs, and how-to blogs. My favorite blogs are ones that share information and experiences, that inspire an aspect of my life, and that give me a peek of someone's personality while doing so. Do you post everything you eat every day? I will read this, gladly, but only if you also throw in some pictures of your dogs and your Friday night bowling adventures. Do you have a fashion blog and post daily outfits? Great - but only if you also tell me about living in Brooklyn, or share your excitement about your first baby. Blogging, for me, is all about the context, and the context? Is YOU. 

How can my blog fill the need I have to share, be creative, and build a community? Or, if a blog posts in a forest, but no one is there to read the blog, did the blog really post?

While I check out my stats every now and then, I don't obsess over them. I don't read about how to increase my hits with search engine optimization, though I do know what that is. I've been blogging for so long that I've gathered enough followers to keep me going - friends from real life, mostly, but also some folks I've never met and who, over the years, have become just as close as those real life people. And my blog is more than an effort to get people to read my words - it's also a way for me to catalog my experiences in a searchable format.

And yet - I fancy myself a writer. A writer who writes because she loves to write, and also because she loves to share. I thrive on community, feedback and friendship. And I feel like maybe I'm ready to take my blog - and my writing - to the next level. But how?    

What is more important - art, or appeal? How much time do I want to devote to blogging? How much time to I have?

I have noticed that these blogs, in which women post everything they have eaten every day, and log every workout that they complete in meticulous detail, garner 100+ comments per post. They have over 2,000 subscribers in Google Reader. I will be the first to admit that I am one of those subscribers and commenters, but I am still flabbergasted at the popularity of this kind of writing. And then I think - I could do that. Easy. I could take a photo of all my meals. I could post them to my blog. I could have 2,000 people tune in every morning to see my bowl of cereal. But do I want to? No, I don't. Recipes once a week - yes. Pretty photos of special meals? Absolutely. But every meal, every day? That would be appeal, and I am naive enough to think that blogging can still be art.

Plus, photographing and posting every meal would take up a lot of time, time I should be spending on short stories and essays. You know, writing that takes thought, time, editing and revision. Things that are not instantly published on the Internet. Which brings me to our last question of the day...

Does blogging make me a more productive writer, or is it an illusion that makes me feel like I've produced?

This is a tricky question. Blogging in addition to writing is one thing; blogging instead of writing is another. I am ashamed to admit that on many, many occasions, my blog is the only writing I do. I started my challenge of writing 500 words a day, and it's been mostly successful, minus a week here and there. (Current record = 21 days in a row. Woot!) The older I get, the more focused I become, and the less this particular issue is an issue. I do not think I have to give up my blog in the name of productivity. If I swing it right, I know my blog can help me to be more productive.

That's all I got for today. In Part Three of our series, I will outline some plans for my blog's future, for my life's future, and for the universe's future. All I gotta say to the universe is: get some shades! Our future is bright.

pardon the dust

As I consider ways to make my blog better, I am playing around with some redesign features through Blogger in Draft. It's easy and offers way better options and styles than the regular Blogger. Let me know what you think, but hurry because I might change it again in an hour. ;)

the art of blogging: part one

I've been thinking a lot about blogging lately, and I'm slowly coming to some conclusions. I've decided to share my thoughts - and questions! - with y'all in three parts, so as not to overwhelm (or bore) any of my readers. 

I started blogging seven years ago, on a website called Diaryland, which still looks almost exactly as it did in 2001. We called them "online journals" then, and I was spurred to create one after reading an acquaintance's god-awful journal and realizing hey - I could totally do better than this! Thus, my first blog was born, and I initially used it as a way to document my semester studying abroad in Ireland.

Since then, I have had a few blogs, the latest of which was born while living in Houston, unemployed, bored, and looking for something to distract me. (This was before Twitter, Facebook - it was even before Myspace!) Since the beginning, my blog has been about me. What I do, what I think, where I go, my hobbies and interests and diversions. I have made no qualms about this and I have enjoyed documenting my life and telling my stories.

Which brings us to the present day. Lately, I don't feel the same drive to document in the same way. I'm not as open on the Internet as once I was. I find myself quieting down, looking inward, keeping my stories to myself. I still love the community of the blogging world, and I still subscribe to over 150 blogs and websites, which I do, in fact, read daily. I'm just not sure what my contribution to that community, that world, should be.

Perhaps this is a good sign - focusing on Myself (my blog is called The New Me, after all) isn't as fulfilling as it used to be. I want to look outside myself, or at least relate myself and my experiences in a way that makes them fodder for others, in a way changes someone's circumstances for the better. I'm not saying that blogging can change the world, but I am saying that I don't do anything without thinking, "Hey, maybe this will connect with someone. Maybe it will inspire them. Sure, it probably won't change the world, but it might alter some small corner of it. And maybe that's enough."

What is the best way to do this? How can my blog fill the need I have to share, be creative, and build a community? What is more important - art, or appeal? How much time do I want to devote to blogging? How much time to I have? Does blogging make me a more productive writer, or is it an illusion that makes me feel like I've produced? These are questions I've been asking myself, and I'm hoping that blogging through them might help me find some answers. If you have any thoughts on this subject, I'd love to hear them in the comments, or through the emails.

Thanks! And stay tuned for Part Two!
christine(dot)hennessey(at)gmail(dot)com.

race report: davy crockett bear chase

This past Saturday, I ran in the third annual Davy Crockett Bear Chase in Groveton, Texas. The Bear Chase features a 5K, a half marathon, and a full marathon - I opted for the half, which was a perfectly pleasant, fairly flat out-and-back course, mostly along a quiet country road and partly on a packed earth path through the forest. 

Groveton is about an hour and fifteen minute drive from Nacogdoches, so I got up at 4:15am, ate a bowl of homemade granola, and picked up Amy, who was also running the half (her second race and longest run ever!). We arrived with plenty of time to pick up our race packets, use the bathrooms, and pose for a photo with Smokey the Bear.

photo credit: david kimling

The race was not very big - about 300 runners in all - and it started at 7:00am on the dot, which I appreciated. A local high school student sang the anthem and then we were off! 

photo credit: fiftystatesmarathon

The race started at the high school track and the first mile was on packed gravel, which was a little tricky. There were aid stations every two miles and people were very friendly. Amy and I ran the first half of the race together and we kept about an 8:30 minute per mile pace - my goal was to finish in under two hours, which required a 9:00 minute pace. But I felt so good - the weather was perfect, the race was small and laid back, and I was in a great mood - so I just went with it. We kept this pace until about mile 6, when we turned off the paved road and entered the forest. 

photo credit: fiftystatesmarathon

Miles 6-8 were the hardest for me! The forest trail was challenging, especially after an hour on nicely paved roads. My pace also started to catch up with me and I felt myself slowing down. Shortly after the turn around point, Amy started to inch ahead and I waved her on - we were ready to run our own races. While the forest was beautiful, I was glad to get back to the road. And while I thought the out-and-back course would be boring, it was actually really nice - I knew what to expect and really, after a while, all cows look the same. 

photo credit: fiftystatesmarathon

At mile 11, I saw Nathan standing on the side of the road! He had to back out of the race due to a foot injury, but he was healed enough to run about a quarter of a mile at my side. I excitedly told him that I was on target to finish in under two hours, and we high-fived. Then he and David (our official photographer) got back in the car and sped away so they could meet Amy and I at the finish line. 

The last two miles were brutal. I knew the end was near, but I felt myself slowing down anyway. So much for finishing strong! When I finally reached the high school, I had to run around the track before I was done. Nathan ran around the track with me, and when I finally crossed the finish line, I threw my arms up in the air - final time one hour, fifty-eight minutes, and twenty-one seconds. Mission accomplished! 

photo credit: david kimling

Amy finished five minutes before me, at 1:53. There were no age group awards, but everyone who finished got a medal and a little stuffed bear, not to mention an awesome feeling of accomplishment and bragging rights. ;) 

photo credit: david kimling

Verdict: The Davy Crockett Bear Chase is a great race - friendly, small and rural, featuring a beautiful (and beautifully flat) course, plenty of aid stations, sweet medals, and great after-race snacks. If we're still in Texas this time next year, I'll definitely be at the Bear Chase!

adventure ahead!

In an effort to distract myself from UNCG's funding limbo, I've been plotting my racing and training schedule for the next few months. As a Planner who is unable to Plan until I know where I'll be living come September, this has been a boon for my sanity and general well being. Plus racing is fun!

This weekend, I am running a half marathon - the Davy Crockett Bear Chase - in a little town about an hour from here, called Groveton. I've never been to Groveton but have heard it described as a "one horse town." The race begins at the local high school and when someone asked for directions to said school, laughter ensued. I have since gathered that the high school is not hard to find.

After I totally PR at the half marathon by running it in less than two hours (power of positive thinking, y'all!) I have a break until the first weekend in May. On Saturday, May 1, I will be running a local race - the Fredonia 5-Miler. I plan on doing lots of speed workouts in preparation for this race, but since it will be my first five mile race, I'll PR no matter what. ;) After the race, Nathan, Amy, David and myself will hop in a car and drive to Forney, Texas for the Warrior Dash! This race is only 3.5 miles long, but features crazy obstacles, including mud and fire! I've been looking forward to this race since February, and I can't believe it's almost here!

Then it's just hardcore training as I prepare for the big one - an Olympic length triathlon on July 18. That's a 1500 yard open water swim, followed by a 23 mile bike ride, followed by a 6.2 mile run. While I can easily bike and run those distances, doing them one after another will be challenging. And I still have a LOT of work to do on my swimming, but I'm actually looking forward to it. (Especially since it will be summer - swimming will be a welcome joy in a few weeks!)

And because I love plans, I searched long and hard for a good training schedule that would best suit me. I finally settled on one which recommends times instead of distances (IE, 30 minute run vs. 3 mile run), and I while I kept the same amount and lengths of workouts, I switched the days around to work with my schedule. There are two important things to note with this plan. The first is that Saturdays will be my hardest workout, called a Brick. This is when you immediately follow a bike ride with a run. (I believe they're called "bricks" because that's what your legs feel like when you start running.) The second thing is that my rest day is... Sunday! This is amazing, as Sundays have traditionally been my long run day. I can't believe I'll have a whole summer of Sundays where I sleep in, make pancakes and then take the dog for a leisurely walk before doing whatever I want. It's going to be awesome!

I'm embedding my training plan via Google calendar, which I use for everything. Check it out and play along, if you're so inclined!

weekend recap - quiet and calm

Seamus relaxes in a very clean apartment.

While the rest of the world (or at least the rest of Texas) was hunting for eggs and dressing up for church, I spent a perfectly quiet and pleasant three day weekend in and around my apartment. Here are the highlights.

Friday! Nathan and I actually left the apartment to go to a free film at the Art Center. They were showing a documentary about women artists and the unique challenges we can face. It was aptly titled Who Does She Think She Is, and as an aspiring World Famous Writer, I found it both entertaining and engaging. If you have a chance to see it, take it!

This is actually the view that my porch faces, not a route that I actually ride. Still, it's pretty, isn't it?

Saturday! When we woke up, the whole town was covered in a thick and soupy fog. This was concerning, as we had plans to ride with the Bike Shop at 8:00am. The Bike Shop, however, would not be deterred by a little fog so off we went, and it was a good thing - after thirty minutes the fog lifted and we enjoyed a gorgeous, sunny morning. We ended up riding 20 miles in an hour and thirty minutes, which was the perfect reintroduction to my bicycle. I'd forgotten how much I love long rides, powering up hills and sailing down the other side, and seeing a side of Nacogdoches - ranches! cows! ponds! more cows! - that I sometimes forget exists, considering I live in the middle of the "city" and all. ;)

After our ride, Nathan headed to the school to work on his thesis. He's in crunch mode, which means I won't be seeing much of him for the next few weeks. On the bright side, he'll soon have his Masters and you know what that means - two incomes! Woot! While he was gone, I wrote and did errands and had a lovely coffee date with Sonnie and Amy on Amy's front porch. I do believe a good amount of my summer will be spent on Amy's front porch - it's very Southern comfort and pink to boot. I'll have to take some photos for y'all!

It's pollen season in East Texas.
Sweeping the porch is a losing battle every time.

Sunday! The day started with a 12 mile run, which I was just not feeling, which consequently turned into a 10 mile run. I don't know what's been up with my running lately - despite the fact that I'm racing a half marathon this Saturday (!) I've been cutting runs short left and right. I think it's partly because I start too fast and burn out early. I will have to pay attention to this during the race.

Later that morning, Nathan left for a conference in Kentucky - he's presenting a poster about his thesis research. I spent the day writing, cleaning and doing projects around the apartment. I even planted some basil!

This is going to sound kind of hippy-dippy, but I feel so in tune with the seasons lately. Maybe it was the long cold winter, maybe it's because I spent so much time outside, training and running and biking, but as soon as it started to get warm I began craving steamed veggies, salads and smoothis; I'm painting an old table for the porch a sunny yellow; I want to plant a huge garden and water it, too (basil will have to suffice for now); and Seamus gets more long walks then he knows what to do with. This has been very, very nice, and has made me appreciate spring more than ever.

spring has sprung!

It's April (no fooling!) and Texas is celebrating Spring with an array of flowers, buds and gorgeous weather. I know that it is still cold and dreary in many parts of the country, but know this: perfect Texas weather is a small window, and we are going to enjoy it as much as we can before the summer heat sets in. Seamus especially loves this time of the year, as you can see.

Check out that tongue - amazing! 

Seamus knows many tricks, but he is picky about when and where he will perform some of them. One such trick is "roll over." If you are at home, in the living room or the kitchen, on the bed, etc, Seamus will not roll over. It makes him nervous. However, if you are at the park in the grass, and if Seamus has a ball or stick which he can roll on top of, he will gladly perform this trick as many times as you request.

My dog is weird.

In other news, I received a mass email from the President of the University today, letting everyone know that all non-essential staff would have Good Friday off. I am fairly certain I am non-essential so three cheers for a surprise three day weekend! I hope you enjoy yours as much as I know I am going to enjoy mine. <3!