Year in Review: A 2011 Survey

I'm stealing borrowing this survey from the lovely Kate at Effing the Ineffable. One of my secret delights in life is filling out forms (seriously!). Combine that with my fondness of nostalgia for a too-recent past and it's like these end of the year memes were made especially for me. Let's get to it, shall we?

1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?
There were a number of firsts this year, but I think the top three are as follows, and in no particular order: Drove a car from Texas to North Carolina. Taught a class of undergraduate students the fine art of creative writing. Went to a Korean Bath House and spent time, naked, with a bunch of naked strangers.

2. Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I did okay with my 2011 resolutions, and I'm feeling pretty good about my goals for 2012.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? 
My good friend Scott and his wife Melanie welcomed a lovely new person into the world just a few weeks ago. I think that was it for this year. A far cry from 2010, aka Year of the Baby!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Three of my dearest friends lost parents this past year. It was a heartbreaking thing to watch and I did my best to be there for each of them.

5. What places did you visit?
I went all over Texas, as usual, mostly for races, camping trips, and yoga workshops/classes. I also moved to a new place, which was exciting, and spent a weekend camping in West Virginia, which was brand new to me. And I just got back from New York, after spending a long ten days visiting my family for the holidays.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
This is a hard one. I didn't really lack anything in 2011. Maybe a new 5K PR?

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched in your memory, and why?
April 5: UNCW offered me a teaching assistantship and I accepted.
July 31: The morning we left Texas for North Carolina, and the way I cried until Arkansas.
November 11: Nathan asked if I wanted to get married; I said yes.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting accepted to a bunch of MFA programs, especially UNCW. Runner up: opening an IRA. Less exciting, but one of the most grown up things I've ever done.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Project 365. I think I started it three or four times before deciding daily photos just aren't for me. This is actually a small failure, so I consider myself quite lucky in 2011!

10: Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope. I have a hearty immune system and, despite being very clumsy, escaped the year with no real injuries to speak of. (Knock on wood.)

11. What was the best thing you bought? 
Our new-to-us canoe. We haven't used it yet, and I hemmed and hawed because it was an impulse purchase, but I do believe it will serve us well. 

12. Who's behavior merited celebration?
Nathan. I'm lucky to have a partner that would quit his job to move half way across the country with me, who supports my dreams of being a writer, and who wants to actually marry me, even though I am stubborn and roll my eyes too often. 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Most everyone I know was on good behavior this year, so I guess I'll just say the Tea Party. 

14. Where did most of your money go?
Paying off my credit card debt claimed most of my money. I also put a lot in savings, but then I spent almost all of it during our move and subsequent settling in. Moving is really, really expensive. 

15. What did you get really excited about?
Graduate school. Writing. My classes and amazing professors. 

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
I'm a very passive music listener. Mostly whatever comes on Pandora. That said, I really like the song "Home," by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. I first heard it in a car full of yoga friends, driving to an out-of-town Ashtanga workshop, after I had to decided to go to UNCW and move away. It was a bittersweet listening.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a. happier or sadder? About the same, but in different ways. I'm happier with what I'm doing, but sadder because I miss more people.
b. thinner or fatter? Same. My weight has been the same since high school. Sometimes things shift, but that's about it. I am very lucky.
c. richer or poorer? Oh, god. So much poorer. So much.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I always wish I had written more and read more. Now that I'm broke, I wish I had saved more money.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Mindless internet surfing. I have a real problem with letting hours slip away while I click links that add absolutely nothing to my life. 

20. How did you spend Christmas?
At my parents' house on Long Island, eating frozen veggie burgers and canned soup while my dad chain-smoked. It was... okay. 

21. Did you fall in love in 2011?
I fell more in love with the same person. (Aw...) 

22. What was your favorite TV program?
2011 was the year of the television for me. Here's a secret: I prefer good television over film. It's an issue of time commitment - sitting still and focusing for two+ hours is difficult for me. That said, I really love Parks and Rec, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Glee, and The Office. Mad Men is my favorite show (the writing! the costumes! the underlying feminism! the way I want to punch Don Draper!) but nothing brings me quite as much joy as a new episode of Parks and Rec. The characters are just so damn likeable.  

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate at this time last year?
No. I can usually find something redeeming about most people. And also I've hated Rick Perry for a long time. 

24. What was the best book you read?
I JUST reached my goal of 15 books in 2011 (go, me!) and my favorite was The Invisible Bridge, by Julie Orringer. I reviewed in on the blog, if you're interested. It's a perfect January book.

25. What music did you get excited about?
See question 16. Also, if you ever wanted to accuse me of being a hipster, my indifference to music would be my number one defense. I like music, of course. Who doesn't? But I do not feel compelled to seek it out. It comes to me (mostly via Nathan). 

26. What did you want and get? 
I got a new marathon PR (4:20!), a teaching assistantship, a wedding dress (yes! more on that later), and a house in Wilmington (to rent).

27. What did you want and not get?
A sub-25 minute 5K, a wireless printer, a wedding venue (but there's still plenty of time to find one).

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
We mostly watch things on Netflix Instant, though I did see the last Harry Potter in theaters, and now we have a theater in Wilmington that shows artsy documentaries and movies, which is nice. But I can't really think of a stand-out favorite.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 29 on August 9th. We had been in Wilmington for just over a week and I missed my friends in Texas, but Nathan and I ended up having a great day anyway. He gave me presents, we went to the beach, we ate delicious Thai food, and we watched a movie in our barely furnished home. It ended up being one of my best birthdays yet.

30. What one thing would have made your year more satisfying?
This is a tough one to answer, which is a good problem to have. I guess if North Carolina and Texas were a lot closer, I'd be happier. I'm not kidding when I say I miss my friends in Nacogdoches and I wish, every day, that I could spend an evening sipping wine on Amy's porch, or going out for coffee after Saturday morning yoga at Morning Glory. C'est la vie.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
"Concept? What concept?" Just kidding. Kind of. I am working on being fashionable, as always. But it's so easy to fall back on jeans and sneakers (in the fall) and skirts and sandals (in the summer/spring). I will say I'm a lot cuter when the weather is warm. Something to look forward to once winter ends!

32. What kept you sane?
Running and yoga.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
The kid who plays Blaine in Glee. I know his character is gay and I know that in real life, he was born in 1987. But there is something about choreographed dancing that makes me weak in the knees.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? 
This was probably my most politically unaware year ever, which is sort of shameful. Reproductive rights always get me going though.

35. Whom did you miss?
Missing people is what I do best, as you can tell from the rest of my answers. To sum up: Texas friends and my family in New York.

36. Who was the best new person you met? 
I met so many new people when I started my program that it's hard to choose just one, but I'll go with Erica. She's my writing friend, my kettlebelling friend, we're the same age, and she loves my dogs. A match made in heaven!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011. 
It's okay to stay home on a Tuesday night when you know a bunch of fun and friendly people are going out to the bar, especially when you want to have a productive Wednesday. You're 29 now. If being boring makes you happy, then by all means: be boring!

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. 

I'm going to cheat and go with "Home" once more. I did a lot of thinking about the concept of home this year, and I love these lyrics because they're simple and true:

Ahh, Home
Let me come Home
Home is whenever I’m with you
Ahh, Home
Let me come Home
Home is when I’m alone with you

2012 Plan of Attack!

Photo credit.

Last year I made a long list of detailed goals for the new year, breaking them down into mini-goals and various steps. It was a good plan and, at the time, suited my life. This year, however, is different. My focus has narrowed, my values have shifted, and I've reached a unique point in my life - a lady's MFA program and her wedding come around but once in a lifetime. Therefore, my goals for the next twelve months are going to be simple and straightforward - write, read, submit, move, and love. I want to think of these five goals less as a list of resolutions and more of a mantra to carry me through what will surely be a crazy, exciting, and memorable year. And just in case those words don't carry the same power for you as they do for me, here's what I'm talking about.

1. Write. Because if I don't write loads of things while I'm in an MFA program, then how do I expect to call myself a writer? No daily goals at this point, because my writing habits shift depending on the project and where I am in the process, but I want to do something for my writing every day (whether it's writing, revising, researching, or just outlining an idea).

2 Read. In past years I've struggled to read 15 books between January and December. Now that part of my job is to read, it's only right I up this number to 25 for 2012.

3. Submit. Send out AT LEAST one story EACH MONTH to a minimum of FIVE JOURNALS. No dicking around.

4. Move. Run my third marathon. Cross my fingers (and train!) for a new PR. Rededicate myself to my yoga practice and complete a month long yoga streak (one hour a day, for at least 30 consecutive days). Continue to be healthy and strong - the older I get, the more it matters.

5. Love.  Host a super fun, low stress, and completely memorable wedding (11-10-12!). Be a better friend (call people on the phone, host more parties, show my far-flung friends how often I think of them, instead of just thinking). Volunteer for a charitable organization. I no longer have the money to donate to the issues that matter to me, but that doesn't mean I can't give my time.

Write, read, submit, move and love. Oh'twelve, it's on.

Do you have goals for 2012? If you've blogged them, comment with the link. If you don't have a blog, leave them in the comments. Goals and resolutions are the guiding force of my life and I seriously love to hear other people's Plans of Attack. Happy New Year and here's to an amazing 2012!

The Proposal

Living in sin... but not for much longer!

Contrary to popular belief, Nathan and I did not get engaged for Christmas. We actually decided to get married on 11-11-11, which was our nine year anniversary. Looking back, I wish we had just told everyone right away. At the time, the idea of orchestrating a big holiday reveal seemed exciting, when in reality it ended up being a bit of a headache. But let me back up for a minute and tell you how it all came to be.

For the last few years, Nathan and I had talked here and there about celebrating our ten year anniversary in 2012 by getting married. The closer it got to year nine, however, the less it came up in conversation. I wondered if I should bring it up - the one thing I know for sure about wedding planning is that it takes a lot of time, and the one thing I know for sure about me is that I like to make spreadsheets as soon as possible. And even though I am a feminist lady who has no problem asking my dude if he wants to marry me, I decided to hold off. It ended up being a good decision!

Our anniversary was a Friday and we went out to dinner at Yosake, a fancy (for us) sushi restaurant in Wilmington. We sat down at a little table in the middle of the room, ordered half priced wine (happy  hour is the most romantic hour of all), and then exchanged cards, because we're broke and had opted to forgo anniversary gifts. Nathan opened my card first. It was a cute card from Target that suited us perfectly, but in a generic, Target sort of way. I had written sweet things inside, but nothing truly memorable.

Then Nathan slide an envelope across the table. I picked it up and opened it. It was a handwritten letter, on a piece of paper torn from a notebook. On it, he had written beautiful and loving things about me and us and our relationship, and at the bottom was a simple question.

"Will you marry me? Circle Yes or No."

"I don't have a pen," I said.

"You can just say it outloud," he said.

"Okay," I said. "I mean, Yes. Yes!"

And that did it. We ordered second glasses of wine, stuffed ourselves on veggie sushi and Thai curry, and talked giddily about the fact that we were engaged, which seemed so weird and strange and real. There was no big public proposal (not our style) and no engagement ring (I was adamant about not wanting one). It was simple and sweet and perfectly us.

For the next few days we didn't tell anyone about our plans. We finally called our parents, because they would kill us if they found out any other way, but we swore them to secrecy. We wanted to come up with a way to tell everyone that was different, fun, and exciting - a simple change of our relationship statuses on Facebook, or a mass text message, just wouldn't do. We finally decided to have our super talented graphic designer friend, Elma, create a Save the Date for us, and include it with our Christmas cards. We wouldn't get to see the surprise on the faces of our loved ones when the opened the cards, but we would have lots of fun imagining their surprise.

As it turns out, collecting addresses, writing cards to 60+ people, and cutting out as many postcards (I printed them at Office Depot, six to a page) takes a really long time. We didn't get the cards out until last Monday and quickly learned that snail mail the week before Christmas is extra snail-like. Some people had received their cards by Wednesday but others didn't arrive until the weekend. A few friends started congratulating us on Facebook, while other friends were asking what was going on. Finally, we couldn't wait anymore. We became "engaged" on Facebook, I told my blog, and now pretty much everyone knows. (An aside: it's so interesting to see how social networking has changed the way we reveal the big moments in our lives. I will admit - I was counting the "likes" our announcement received and took way too much pleasure in watching the number rise.)

As for the wedding planning: I still have no idea what I'm doing, but I asked for and received the book A Practical Wedding for Christmas and I'll be reading it cover to cover as soon as I get back to North Carolina. We know we want to get married on November 10, 2012 (technically a day before our anniversary, but it's a Saturday, which makes for a better party) and we know we want to get married on Long Island (I have a large family here and we have a lot of friends in New York). It will be a little hard planning a New York wedding from North Carolina, while going to graduate school full time, but at least I'll have the summer to do things like DIY my heart out. I'm also glad we're having a fall wedding - because it will be out of season, we'll be able to save quite a bit of money, and this will most definitely be a budget wedding.

As for blogging while engaged: I'm not going to be a bridezilla. In fact, I probably won't have much time to even think of the wedding once the semester starts. I'll update here and there, mostly with decisions we've made, as we've made them (like a venue, whether I'll change my name [hint: I won't], if the dogs will be in the wedding party, if we'll have a vegetarian wedding, etc) but otherwise you can expect the usual from The New Me. Running, writing, recipes, and dogs, with a few wedding updates thrown in here and there.

And, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for the well wishes and the congratulations. Marriage is something I never expected to do, so getting excited about it is still a little surreal. But we're definitely excited, and we hope to throw a hell of a party. After ten years together, I'd say we've earned one.

The Rumors Are True!

We included a little surprise in our holiday cards this year. Tis the season for love! 

2011 Plan of Attack: A Not So Brief Recap

photo credi

I just realized that the new year is less than a week away, which leaves little time to complete all the goals I set back in January. I know I said I would check in every few months, but I only provided a progress report once. C'est la vie. This past year was one of huge changes and I'm happy with where I am, even if I had to cut some corners to get there. And because I can't plot my goals for 2012 without holding myself accountable to 2011, here's a little recap of how I did.

As you probably don't recall (because I sure didn't) I split my goals into three categories - creative, health and financial - with a broad goal (listed in bold) followed by small steps to achieve that goal (italicized below). Damn, I'm organized. But did it help?

Creative Goals

Establish a writing routine in order to be productive and get published.
1. Write and/or revise for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week. I did this in spurts, but not consistently. However, since I got into the groove of my MFA program I have been writing for at least an hour a day, most days. I've produced more these last three months than I have the last three years, and that's pretty awesome. Goal: accomplished!
2. Submit at least one story per month to literary journals. I did submit a bunch of stuff in the early part of the year, but then I stopped. Now I'm writing new things that won't be ready for submission by the end of the year. I will probably move this goal to my 2012 list. Goal: not quite.
3. Enter at least five short story contests. I did, I did! I haven't won any of them (yet!) but entering is the first step. Goal: accomplished!

Read more than 15 books for the year. I'm reading my 14th book right now, and I will certainly try to read one more before the calendar flips to 2012. Anyone know a really good, really short book? :) Goal: maybe!

Improve photography skills. The only thing I did to improve my photos was to download iPhone apps that make your photos look fancier. Goal: not quite.

Health Goals 
1. Diversify workout routine with cross training. I have gotten better about cross-training and the YMCA certainly helps with that. Hello, kettlebells! I also spent most of the year really dedicated to my yoga practice, which has done wonders for my health, fitness level, and life in general. Goal: accomplished!
2. Run three times a week. Work on speed and set new PR’s. Three is my magic number, it seems. I set a marathon PR but that was it - my half and 5K records still stand, but I do know that I'm faster than I used to be. If I could afford those race fees, I could prove it. Goal: close enough.
3. Take better care of my skin. I am moisturizing with a SPF 15 brand. I also got a hang of a super simple make up routine (eye shadow and mascara, but only at night) with which I'm pleased. Goal: accomplished.

Financial Goals  
1. Pay off credit card. Then, begin making double payments on student loan debt. I successfully paid off my credit card and then... I moved to NC and slashed my income. Oops. Back in the red but not as bad as before. And my student loan debt has been deferred for the next three years, so that's nice! Goal: accomplished, despite my new debt.
2. Aggressively contribute every spare penny to savings account. Again, I was doing really well with this goal until we moved to North Carolina and I went back to school full time, thus slashing my income and racking up the debt. Now that Nathan is working full time and we've settled in, I think 2012 will be a lot better for our wallets. I'm sure I'll blog more about this later. Goal: in flux.
3. Figure out how my retirement plan works and whether it’s optimal. When I quit my job, I closed my retirement plan (it was Texas only) and opened an IRA instead. This feels extremely grown up. Goal: accomplished!

Home for the Holidays

When I last posted, I was in the Wilmington airport, blogging and waiting for my flight. After a long day of unexciting travel (which is actually the best kind of travel - excitement while flying is not a good thing) I landed safely in LaGuardia. First step: meeting my middle sister, Susan, getting a bottle of wine, and drinking the whole thing before we met some friends for dinner. Oops.

We had dinner at an awesome Indian restaurant called Polash, and the food was delicious. No photos because did I mention the first bottle of wine and the second we ordered at dinner? We Hennesseys take our wine drinkin' seriously. At the restaurant, we me met two dear college friends from Purchase and two friends from my new college life in Wilmington. Worlds collided, but it worked wonderfully. I love when the universe conspires in weird ways.

The next morning I woke up in Susan's bed, still wearing last night's clothes, and feeling less than stellar. I was meeting my youngest sister at noon. Ally was taking a final in the city and when she was done we planned to ride the train back to Long Island together. Because I had hours to kill, I accompanied Susan on a photo shoot for the magazine where she works as a photo editor. The day's shoot was for clothing and motorcycle helmets, and I got to see first hand how many shots of a pile of shoes in a nest of sticks are required to get the right one. Answer: so, so many.

Because I have been watching Ugly Betty on Netflix Instant, I felt right at home and pretended that I was Betty, out of place and trying hard to fit in at Mode Magazine. It made the raging hangover slightly easier to bear. Finally, Ally called. We reunited, had a terrible lunch at a Chinese place near Penn Station, and then caught a train home.

Now I'm on Long Island, at "home." I haven't lived in New York for eight years. I have never lived full time in my parents' current home or town (they moved when I was in college). I find myself observing their weird habits and then am startled to remember a time when I did the same things. For example: my parents keep their peanut butter in the refrigerator. I thought this was bizarre until I remembered doing the same thing, even after I moved out. I don't know when I moved the peanut butter to the cupboard, or why. It seems significant, but then again -  it's just peanut butter. (And after I told my mom the existential dilemma that cold peanut butter was causing me, she took it out of the refrigerator and moved it to the cabinet. My mom is awesome, even if she rolled her eyes while she did it.)

In other words: I'm home. My dad has gone overboard with the Christmas decorations (as usual), I'm sleeping on a lumpy foldout couch, eating frozen veggie burgers for every meal, and the air is thick with cigarette smoke that makes me feel like I'm on the cusp of a sinus infection at all times. But there is also a whole season of Glee to watch with Ally, the opportunity to talk my mom's ear off for hours on end, CHRISTMAS PRESENTS, and the fact that home, despite all it's drawbacks and weirdness and absence of comfortable routines, is home. Deep down, I'll always love it.

MTW5: Woes and Worries

To aid in my quest to run a four hour marathon on March 18, 2012, I'll be writing training recaps each Monday, documenting the previous week. This is week five!

I'm a day late on this - if you were waiting with bated breath for my weekly training recap, please accept my sincere apologies. I may have put off writing this post because this week was not the best - in fact, it was pretty disappointing. Read on to find out why (hint - it happens on Sunday, during my long run.)  

Monday: Rest and recovery from Sunday's long run. 

Tuesday: I started my day with an 8:30am yoga class at the YMCA - Vinyasa Flow, which was great. I like this class, but am not quite sold on the instructor. Still: good yoga is good yoga! After my class I went on a quick three mile run. I ended up running a progressive, which is a fun workout where you run each mile faster than the last. (Splits: Mile 1: 9:46, Mile 2: 9:26, Mile 3: 8:38) 

Wednesday: Ran three easy miles to the YMCA; went to a 30 minute kettlebell class (we focused on shoulders and arms) and then ran one mile home. Average pace for run: 9:31. 

Thursday: Vinyasa Flow Yoga at the YMCA. We did a million hip openers which was great, as I have the world's tightest hips. 

Friday: Big day of exercise! I started with a hard run - a six mile tempo run, with the goal of the middle four miles at 8:55. My splits:

1 mile warm up: 9:42
Tempo mile 1: 8:31
Tempo mile 2: 8:45
Tempo mile 3: 8:38
Tempo mile 4: 8:41
1 mile cool down: 10:59

This was a really hard workout! It was warm and humid and my legs were tired from the start. I really had to push it to make my goal pace and even though I ran a little faster than necessary, it was not much faster. I'm starting to understand why my plan gave me such conservative paces: because running 30 miles a week makes you SLOW.

After my run, I slogged through kettlebell. Luckily we focused on chest, back and abs, and left my poor legs alone.  

Saturday: An extra rest day - I was really sore from kettlebell and the tempo run. 

Sunday: Long run day. I was supposed to run 16 miles but was willing to settle for 14, since last week's long run fell short. Unfortunately, I only made it eight miles (at an average pace of 10:46 - should have been closer to 10:30). Once again, my ITB was giving me serious problems - so much so that I could barely walk at the end, never mind run. Going to brunch after the run helped my mood a little, but I was pretty down for the rest of the day.  

Total miles: 21

Final thoughts: While I haven't been to a doctor, I have consulted my personal physican (Dr. Google) and I'm 99% sure that it's my IT Band. The pain is in the same place (outside of the knee - in my case, my left knee) and it's considered the most common injury that plagues runners. What's interesting is that I've run two marathons and a handful of half marathons, and this is the first time I've ever experienced this kind of pain. Looking back, I can see two big differences between how I trained then and how I'm training now. In the past, I ran three days a week and practiced yoga an equal number of times. Now, I am running four times a week and only practicing yoga twice. I'm also doing strength training twice a week. Basically, the culprit of my ITB issues is most likely over training and under stretching. Which is actually good, because both those issues are easy to fix.

Since I'm about to fly to New York for the holidays (I'm actually blogging from the airport right now!) I'm going to take it easy on the running front for the next ten days. I'm also going to try to go to some yoga classes while I'm on Long Island, or at least do yoga on my own as much as I can. When I get back to North Carolina, I'm going to scale back my running to three times a week and cross train on the fourth day - probably by swimming. I used to swim and I enjoyed it, and the pool at the YMCA is nice and big and located under a large skylight. A skylight!

Despite these setbacks, I'm still going to shoot for a four hour marathon. The race is just under three months away, and I think that should be plenty of time to resolve my ITB issues and still complete a decent training cycle. Every quest requires challenges - if this is as hard as mine get, I'll consider myself lucky.

Weekend Adventures

I haven't really blogged anything besides school and running in a while, which makes sense, since that's all I've been up to. But it's winter break and if I'm going to get back in the habit of having adventures, now's the time to do it. First step: buy a canoe.

I know, I know. We're broke, our savings are slowly slipping away, and the credit card debt has been piling up. But, as past posts prove, we enjoy canoeing and camping. We rented canoes fairly regularly when we lived in Texas. And once you have a canoe, the opportunity for adventures that are both fun and free become abundant. Plus, Nathan finally got his first paycheck on the same day he found an amazing deal on a canoe via Craigslist. We got this canoe at a steal, because it had been left in the sun for too long and the color had faded, and because the man who made it (a local boat builder) was in a hurry to free up space in his shop. Cosmetic imperfections + impatience = a suddenly affordable canoe for Nathan and Chrissy. I can't wait to break a bottle of (really cheap) champagne on it's mast and take it for it's maiden voyage on the Cape Fear River.

In other adventures, Saturday night featured a Last Minute Slap-Dash Dress Your Best Christmas Cocktail Party, which was attended by all the MFA students who had yet to flee Wilmington for the holidays.

Table, dressed to the nines.

Nathan looks good in this photo. I do not. One out of two ain't bad.

For a last minute party, it was a downright classy affair. Everyone got dressed up (I'm talking ties and tights), the house had a glowing tree, stockings on the mantle, and twinkling lights in every room, and our lovely host, Anna, threw together a gorgeous table of gourmet snacks. I drank two mugs of hot whiskey apple cider and then switched to red wine, and ate many vegan cookies, which I baked and brought to the party. (I made my no frills vegan chocolate chip cookies, but with a few frills.)

It was an excellent party and a nice way to end the semester once and for all.

On Sunday morning Nathan and I met our friends Lucy and Matt for a run around Greenfield Lake. I had high hopes of running 16 miles but my IT Band started acting up again, so I only made it eight. Very disappointing, but I'll talk more about that in my weekly marathon training post. To soothe my frustration and depression we went out to brunch instead, which helped.

We also had high hopes of brewing beer yesterday, but by the time we got back from brunch, took the dogs to the park, and ran to the grocery store it was already 4pm. So it looks like we're putting that off until next year.

Speaking of tomorrow (not really, but it's too early to come up with elegant transitions), I fly to New York in the morning and I'm so excited to see my family (and eat New York bagels). I haven't been home since July 2010, with the exception of a two day visit last May for a wedding, and it will be great to spend ten whole days with them. (Definitely one of the perks of being a student again!) Which means today I absolutely MUST: wrap Christmas presents; mail holiday cards; pack for the trip; go to kettlebell AND yoga (I will miss the YMCA very much); finish the laundry; and purchase two or three more books for my Kindle. The Kindle is perhaps the hardest part, because every time I think of a book I want to read I have an internal struggle about whether I want a hard copy or the e-version. First world problems, my friends. Oh, how I suffer.

I hope you all had a good weekend and are gearing up for a great week. Until next time!

Scenes from Winter Break

Back when I was a full time employee, reporting to my desk Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, I spent a lot of time staring out my window and dreaming about life on the other side. Of having the freedom to do what I want, when I wanted. Of dedicating my time to things that directly benefit me and my values. Of going for a walk in the middle of the day, just because the weather is gorgeous and the dogs look lonely.

Now that I am officially on winter break for the next four weeks, that life has arrived. And to be entirely honest: it's pretty awesome. Don't get me wrong - I love school, but in some ways being a full time student is more demanding then being a full time employee. When I worked at SFA, my day ended at 5pm. I didn't think about work once between Friday evening and Monday morning. I gave them 40 hours of my time (okay, a little less - someone had to read all those blogs!) and everything else was mine.

Now, things are not so cut and dry. Business and pleasure bleed together. I have lots of things to do and I can do them pretty much whenever I want, which is great (flexibility! the best!). The other side of that coin, however, is that I could always be doing something - especially when I'm not doing anything. Hello, guilt. Goodbye, relaxation. And thank god for winter break!

That said: I am still finding ways to be productive during these four blissful and stress-free weeks. My new routine goes something like this: wake up around 7AM. Internet and blog for a bit. Walk the dogs. Exercise (running + kettlebell or yoga). Shower, eat lunch, complete tasks I would normally procrastinate. (Hello, bill paying and dish washing!) After lunch, I ride my scooter to the coffee shop with my laptop and work on writing-related tasks for about three hours. Revising, mostly, but also identifying journals to which I will submit and contests I plan to enter. Come home, walk the dogs again, and start making dinner (with a big old glass of wine in hand). The next day, I do it all again.

It's pretty great and I'm starting to feel like I'm making some actual progress on my writing - making it better, stronger, instead of just producing words aimlessly and then moving on to the next story or essay. Revision makes me feel more like a writer than writing does. Funny how that works.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to fold some laundry and finish my grading. Duty calls.

Marathon Training: Week 4

To aid in my quest to run a four hour marathon on March 18, 2012, I'll be writing training recaps each Monday, documenting the previous week. This is week four!

Last night, I went to bed at 8:30 and slept straight through to 7:30 this morning. I wasn't sick, I wasn't hungover, and I wasn't depressed. I was just really, really, really tired. I'm feeling much better now.

Lots of things - good and not-so-good - happened during this past week of training (turns out, 14 is an unluckier number than 13). I'll spare you the extensive prologue and jump right into the thick of things.

Monday: As you may recall, I didn't do a long run last week, deciding instead to push it to Monday of this week. I had planned to run 14 miles this morning, but at mile six I had to stop by the house to deal with some gastrointestinal issues. I ran one more mile after that, but it was clear that my stomach would not be silenced. I tried  to remember what I had for dinner the previous night and then remembered... half a bottle of wine, chocolate coconut bread, sweet potato fries, chips and guacamole, while hanging out at a birthday party. Not what I would consider top notch fuel. Decided to push this run back yet again. (7 miles = 1:12:24, or an average pace of 10:21.) 

Tuesday: I went to the 6:00 AM Ashtanga class at the YMCA again, and it was much different from last week's experience. This time, we did actual Ashtanga - the whole first series. It was tough and a good workout, but I don't know if I would enjoy a practice where we do the same thing every single class. I have mixed feelings about Ashtanga, but I'm grateful for the option.  

Wednesday:  I woke up sore all over from Ashtanga, but the weather was so beautiful I couldn't resist a short run before kettlebell class. Ran a four mile loop that ended at the YMCA, went to class, and then ran a slow mile back home for an even five. The run home was really hard, as kettlebell did a number on my legs, but I just imagined what the last mile of a marathon feels like and then it wasn't so bad.

Kettlebell was led by Christine, who is my favorite instructor. We swung and squatted for the first 15 minutes, and then did ab work for the last 15. I crunched and twisted until my abdominal muscles literally gave out. It was wonderful. 

Thursday: Ashtanga + Kettlebell = a very sore Chrissy. Rest day.  

Friday: Four mile run to the YMCA; Kettlebell; one mile run home. Same routine as Wednesday.

Saturday: Yoga at the YMCA. This class was taught by an older woman who used to be a ballerina. Slow and steady movements but a great stretch and definitely a challenge. I like this class a lot and the instructor was wonderful - clear, easy to follow, and radiating good energy. 

Sunday: This was my second attempt at the 14 miler, and it was going great until about mile ten. My IT band started to act up. I finished mile 12 right near my house (never a good idea) and rather than do another two mile loop I decided enough was enough. The perfectionist in me was disappointed to have fallen short of my goal, but the rational part of my brain said that two miles wouldn't make or break a training plan, that it's better to cut a run short than risk injury, and that 12 is still a decently long run. I ran 12 miles in 2:06:24, which works out to an average pace of 10:32.  

Total miles: 29! 

Final thoughts: I'm hoping the IT band issue will be resolved when I get new running shoes for Christmas. My current shoes are way past their prime (they literally have holes in them) but I've been too poor to replace them. In the meantime, I'm going to keep going to yoga (finally hit two classes this week!) and look up some additional stretches and strengthening exercises that will help soothe my poor legs. I know some of my readers have dealt with this issue before, so if you have any advice you're willing to share, please do!

Vegan Walnut Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I spent most of yesterday at my desk, working on a revision of a story from this past semester. First, I read through all the comments and suggestions my classmates provided during workshop, and then I just started going through the story scene by scene, asking myself how much work each line was doing, what each paragraph was contributing, and then ruthlessly cutting whole pages and rewriting as needed. And oh, was it needed. Many darlings were sacrificed, and many more are on their way. Such is the life of a writer.

I did take one notable break from my work, and it was to bake a loaf of this bread. I had two sad, soft  bananas sitting in my hanging basket, and I knew I needed to transform them into something delicious. The kitchen and the desk have a lot in common, actually. In both places, you find ingredients that are okay on their own but, once you add a few things - a well placed adjective, perhaps, or a teaspoon of vanilla - and let outside forces work their magic (whether that's a preheated oven or a thoughtful reader), you end up with something that still has the core of whatever you started with, but is now, finally, palatable.

Which is to say: if you have some old bananas lying around, get to your kitchen and revise them, before it's too late.

Vegan Walnut Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
adapted from about.com 

Note: This is by far the best banana bread I've ever made. I'm not a huge fan of bananas and the flavor here is subtle, balanced nicely by the chocolate chips and the walnuts. Best of all, it uses ingredients you probably already have which, in an emergency situation, is key. Who has time to run to the store when bananas are at stake? 


You will need: 
1/3 cup Earth Balance
1/4 white sugar
1/4 brown sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup soy milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using a hand mixer, cream together the Earth Balance and sugars, then stir in the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Pour into an oiled bread pan and bake for 50 minutes.

Semester: Done!

I have officially survived my first semester of graduate school. Can I get a hooray?!

Source: tumblr.com via Lou on Pinterest

In some ways, this MFA program was everything I hoped it would be. In other ways, it was a total surprise - a good surprise. I met a ton of new people, I read a bunch of books, I workshopped stories until I lost all faith in myself as a decent writer (it's okay - that's what revision is for), and I have five more semesters left in which I will grow and write and learn. I'm in a good place right now, even when - no, especially when - things have been tough. I've tried to blog my way through the last semester as best I could, so I thought I'd share a few statistics, which might give you a better idea of what the last few months were really like.

Short stories written and workshopped: 4
Credits earned: 10
Students taught: 10
Non-American novels read in my forms seminar: 7
Subscriptions to literary journals: 4
Personal debt accrued: $2,500
New Facebook friends: 57+
Foursquare mayorships in North Carolina: 2
Races run in North Carolina: 0
Trips outside of Wilmington since August: 2
Soy lattes from Port City Java: countless
MFA-related parties, receptions, pub crawls, and readings: so many
Level of happiness: through the roof

I'd say it's been a good semester.

Today is my first official day of winter break - the spring semester doesn't begin until January 11, so I have a whole month with nothing to do, no deadlines or due dates or classes or required readings that demand my time, waking me early and keeping me up late. Besides going to New York for Christmas, I plan to use this time to work on my stories from last semester - I want to revise all four of them and then submit them to journals, well before the next semester starts. I also want to read for pleasure, catch up on the current season of Glee, sew some pillow covers, wrap Christmas presents, and go to a ton of yoga classes. It's going to be a great month, of this I am certain.

But first, the dogs are whining for a walk. I may have taken the next steps towards a second masters, but we know who's really in charge around here.

Have a great day!

Marathon Training: Week 3

To aid in my quest to run a four hour marathon on March 18, 2012, I'll be writing training recaps each Monday, documenting the previous week. This is week three!

If there's one thing that marathon training (and life in general) has taught me, it's that every moment has extenuating circumstances. Things rarely go according to plan. Often, your best tool for a happy and productive life is the ability to be flexible. This past week was no exception.

Despite a plan that calls for 26-30 miles a week, I only ran 19 last week. This can be blamed entirely on the fact that I skipped my long run yesterday. I know! I said in the beginning that if I had to skip a run, it would most certainly be an easy workout and never a long run or speed work. And yet! The last week of the semester, an extra class with a visting writer, and an overnight trip with my Pedagogy class make fitting in a 14 mile run really, really hard. While I'm definitely dedicated to marathon training, I didn't move to Wilmington expressly to run a four hour race. I moved here to become a better writer. Sometimes I have to remind myself of this fact and, rather than beat myself up for skipping an important workout, I should applaud myself for putting school and writing first.

Luckily, week four is a step-back week, so I have decided to run my 14 miler today, as soon as I hit publish on this post. After that, it's easy runs for the rest of the week. And just in time - it will be nice to recover from training and from this past semester simultaneously. I definitely need it.

Monday: Rest and recovery from Sunday's 12 mile run.  

Tuesday: An easy four mile run, at an average pace of 10:11. After talking with Chip about pace and training, I decided that even though these easy runs feel too easy, I'm going to trust the experts and slow.the.eff.down. This was my first attempt doing so and it went pretty well. While the first mile was tough and I had to keep adjusting my pace, by mile two I fell into a groove and was able to remain fairly consistent until the end.  

Wednesday: In the morning, I went to a 30 minute kettlebell class and then decided to stick around for the spin portion, to make a full hour long workout.

I decided to wait to do my tempo run until the evening, when Nathan got home from work, even though I prefer to run in the morning. I am a very kind and generous girlfriend. This was my first time running in the dark in Wilmington and I am sad to say that my neighborhood, while gorgeous and awesome, is not very well-lit. That, combined with uneven sidewalks and streets, made for some treacherous running. Nevertheless, we pressed on. Plan called for a 4 mile tempo run with 1 mile warm up and 1 mile cool down. We skipped the cool down and ended up walking about a quarter of a mile home, just because I didn't want to push my luck with the whole running-in-the-dark thing. If someone were to trip and fall during a cool down, it would be me. Guaranteed.

The splits:

1 mile warm up: 9:28
Tempo mile 1: 8:36
Tempo mile 2: 8:35
Tempo mile 3: 8:25
Tempo mile 4: 8:30
.25 mile walk home

My plan called for the fast miles to average 8:57, however! The whole point of a tempo workout is to run at a "challenging but manageable pace" and a 9:00 minute mile (for four miles) is simply not very challenging for me at my current fitness level. While I don't want to over-train or wear myself out, I do want to feel challenged in my workouts. And since I'm committed to slowing my down my easy runs, I feel okay about speeding up my tempo to a pace that feels right for me. 

Thursday: Finally made it to the 6:00 AM Ashtanga yoga class at the YMCA and it was just as I suspected - the best class I've been to since moving to Wilmington. I will have to make this class a habit. A very, very early habit. 

Friday: I wanted to do my long run on Friday but I had so much work to do for school that there just wasn't time. I spent all day at my desk and took a break around 2pm to run an easy five miles, average pace 9:48.  

Saturday: An extra rest day, as I spent the entirety of it either at school or traveling to Bald Head Island for a class retreat. 

Sunday: I planned to make up my long run on Sunday, but after getting back from the trip around 11am I was just way too exhausted (and dehydrated) to attempt it. Instead, I ran an easy five miler with Nathan (pace: 9:43) and decided to move my long run to Monday (AKA, right now!).

Total miles: 19

Final thoughts: Still need more yoga in my life. After Tuesday I will basically be done for the semester. I'm excited to see how my training improves when all I have to do every day is write, read, and run. Sounds like a perfect life to me!

Slip Into Something Uncomfortable

My first semester of grad school is almost over, which is a slightly surreal. By Tuesday I''ll be completely done with classes and teaching, with the exception of student revisions and grades, due on the 13th. I'm looking forward to winter break, but not for the obvious reasons. Yes, Christmas will be fun, visiting my family in New York will be wonderful, and taking the dogs on extra long walks will be nice. But the thing I'm most excited about is a solid block of time in which I will REVISE.

In the last four months I've had four short stories workshopped by my professors and peers. That totals about 80 pages of writing (my stories tend to be on the shorter side). While most of my work has garnered it's share of positive comments, different versions of the same criticisms keep popping up.

"You're protecting your characters too much. You need to  make their lives more messy."

"Stories are best when people make bad decisions. Let things get uncomfortable." 

"You go to white space and a break in the narrative just when things get tense. What is happening in that white space?"

In one of my stories, about a woman who is trying to get over the death of her infant son, a nosy neighbor invites her over coffee. Instead of accepting the invite, the main character makes an excuse and walks away, though the memory of the invitation lingers.

After looking through my workshop critiques and thinking over the advice I've been given, I start to wonder why I didn't let the main character agree to coffee. That nosy neighbor has so much potential! She can ask the main character questions about her son, about how her marriage is suffering, whether they plan to try again - totally inappropriate and uncomfortable things that the main character has not faced and from which she is still running. In yesterday's class with visiting writer Steve Almond, he talked about the importance of characters that serve as "reality instructors" or "foils" for the protagonist. Often, stories need someone who can deliver crucial information to the main character, information needed for the changes and shifts that must occur by the end of the story. Many of my pieces lack this outside force - I tend to write insular stories about relationships, or complicated internal conflicts. My characters are usually avoiding something and face that thing in the end, but not always and often not fully. And it makes sense that this would be my weakness in writing, because it's my weakness in life. I avoid confrontation, I hate conflict, and I prefer to pretend that everything is fine and lick my wounds when no one's looking. Which is okay in real life (well, not really, but that's a post for another day) but fiction demands more.

So that's my winter break goal: look at all four of these stories, identify each moment when the protagonist must make a decision, pick the worst one, and follow it through to the end. If that doesn't sound like a good time, then I don't know what does.

I like when we have craft-related discussions here, because y'all are often way smarter and more insightful then me. So I'm going to do that thing that annoys me, but I sometimes do anyway, and end this post with a question: Do you have any moments when your art mimics your life? Do you know your own weaknesses when it comes to the things you love, whether it's writing, running, or another kind of art? I'd love to hear about it.