101 in 1001

Shrimp Paesano Recipe!

by // // No Comments

Days Until 2012: via

Week #4 was my favorite week of cooking, and it was also Mr. O’s favorite meal. I made “Shrimp Paesano” by following the recipe from this wonderful site. There isn’t too much that I altered with the recipe. To start, I used dried parsley because I forgot to pick up fresh parsley from the store. In my opinion this made absolutely no difference. I also did NOT need 2 full cups of flour. I threw quite a bit of flour out at the end. I also have a tendency to add things to recipes, so I added onions and some orange sweet peppers. Which I thought added a lot to the recipe.

So the first step is to let the shrimp soak in the half & half for 30 minutes. Mr. O was so kind to get this started for me before I got there, so I only had to wait maybe ten minutes before I started cooking. I took this time to prepare the rest of the stuff that I needed.20111201-184755.jpg20111201-184834.jpg

After that I moved on to steps #3 &4 and I personally found that I “dusted” the shrimp with a medium amount of flour. To me, dusting means like minimally powder something, but I lightly covered the whole shrimp. Hey, it worked for me. The ones that were less covered than the others lost a lot of the coating, and honestly didn’t taste that good.
20111201-184825.jpg20111201-184814.jpg20111201-184805.jpg

So I somehow forgot to take pictures while making the sauce. There isn’t much to comment that you won’t learn on the recipe. The only note that I have is that I found myself putting more and more half & half in the sauce to thicken it up and make it more creamy. It was too buttery. When I make this recipe again, I will probably use less butter next time around, and make more sauce.

20111201-184846.jpg

Oh, and don’t forget to enter my very first giveaway on Reinventing Erin for a $25 gift card to Overnight Prints!. You do not want to miss it. Click here to find out all the ways you can enter. TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO ENTER!!!!!

easy nachos

by // // No Comments

Days Until 2012: via

Week three of cooking was an easy one. We were very busy and a few of our meals were on the go… Before I knew it the week was halfway done and I had yet to cook. Mr. O had made all the stuff we needed for tacos and in order to “cook” something, I baked some nachos. Don’t get too excited here. It was just chips, pico type salsa, onions, and cheese I think. I’ve learned its best to bake the nachos without the salsa. It made the chips covered in salsa too chewy. Simple, right?

20111201-184703.jpg20111201-184637.jpg20111201-184650.jpg

Oh, and don’t forget to enter my very first giveaway on Reinventing Erin for a $25 gift card to Overnight Prints!. You do not want to miss it. Click here to find out all the ways you can enter.

creamy garlic wine spaghetti with little necks :)

by // // No Comments

Days until 2012: (via)

So this was my first big undertaking for the cook weekly challenge: Littlenecks over spaghetti with a creamy garlic wine sauce. Yummmm. Looking back it wasn’t my favorite meal, but I did pretty good for my first meal that I cooked from scratch. I’ m just sharing the photos today, because I followed this recipe and they deserve the kudos.

20111201-184500.jpg

Trying to follow the recipe!

I think next time, I will put less lemon or possibly a different white wine (I went into a little lemon squeezing craze).20111201-184514.jpg20111201-184447.jpg20111201-184528.jpg

Oh, and don’t forget to enter my very first giveaway on Reinventing Erin for a $25 gift card to Overnight Prints!. You do not want to miss it. Click here to find out all the ways you can enter.

technically it was round two, but officially will be round one

by // // No Comments
 Days until 2012! VIA

A week in recipes??? So remember how I decided to start cooking weekly as part of my 101 in 1001 project? Remarkably, I have been doing just that 🙂 Since I have about 6 or 7 meals completed, I figured I’d spend the week posting about the food I’ve cooked.

The first meal was on 10/19/11; I made spaghetti and meatballs and foolishly didn’t photograph the meal. Since it is a pretty big deal for me to photograph ALL of my 101 challenge, I’ve decided to just start the “challenge” with my first photographed meal, which was technically week #2.

Chow Mein on 10/24/11! I should let you know that I consider myself a Chow Mein rock star. I’ve improved my recipe over the past year, but it is a pretty easy meal to cook, and it is also something I can eat pretty regularly. Mr. O and I are pretty obsessed with our homemade dumplings, so we decided to cook those as well (Mr. O cooked them, while I watched).

20111201-184222.jpg 20111201-184131.jpg20111201-184116.jpg

There isn’t much to tell you about cooking. I tend to eat my chow mein with meat. Usually pork or chicken, although I did make good use of my Thanksgiving leftovers by cooking turkey chow mein! So the first thing to do is cook your meat. While it is on the stove, I chop my vegetables and prepare my sauce. I usually put onions, bean sprouts and occasionally mushrooms in my chow mein. My mother puts celery in hers, but both Mr. O and myself aren’t fans of celery, so we don’t. We buy our chow mein noodles and mix in bulk at Oriental Chow Mein Company which is run by the sweetest woman who I consider part of my family. She is the person who taught my mom to cook so well when she was growing up, so I’m pretty grateful for her. The sauce is slightly tricky to mix, but once you get the hang of it, it’s no biggie. Basically you just mix the powder with water; if the water is too cold, the powder won’t liquefy well. If the water is too hot, then the powder turns into a jelly, and it is a pain in the ass to turn it back into a liquid. So my trick is to start to boil water on the stove, but before it begins to bubble, I scoop out some water and mix my sauce. Once the sauce is ready, I pour it into the remaining water on the stove, and toss in my veggies and meat.

20111201-184204.jpg20111201-184150.jpg

From here on is a waiting game. I generally never cook my sauce higher than medium temperature, but I like to get the sauce to thicken, and also let the add-ins absorb the flavor before I plate it. It worked out well this night, because we didn’t start making the dumplings until I threw all the ingredients in the sauce pan. This is a picture of the dumplings as soon as they went into the pan. Like I said, Mr. O cooked them, so I really don’t have much to remark yet about dumpling cooking. The final thing to do when everything is ready is fill a bowl with crunchy brown chow mein noodles and then cover it with as much sauce as you like. I’m a HUGE fan of putting some balsamic vinegar in my chow mein, but Mr. O thinks that is gross.

Here is to the official week one, and to kicking off one of the goals on my 101 list. Check back tomorrow for another sneak peek at my cooking skills.

Oh, and don’t forget to enter my very first giveaway on Reinventing Erin for a $25 gift card to Overnight Prints!. You do not want to miss it. Click here to find out all the ways you can enter.

randoms

by // // No Comments
  • I’m not a big fan of waiting. I’m an action girl. I like to make things happen, not sit and wait for them to happen.
  • I am a very positive person, and believe in the power of intention.
  • I really need to type up and post my new 101 in 1001 list that went live 10/2/11.
  • Even more than that, I need to post all the updates for my original 101 challenge that ended 10/1/11.
  • I need to organize my entire life… because it isn’t.
  • I also need to see Michaela soon, because it has been ages since we have been together, and that, well that just doesn’t feel right.
  • I am addicted to Pinterest. It’s true. I can’t stop pinning. I just want to do it all the time.
  • I’m getting a coffee this weekend with Kristen, the fantastic Season 5 Statejoy blogger who happens to live near me. This will be epic.
  • I’ve cooked a whole lot since I started the new 101 challenge. At least once a week. So I need to get those blog posts written and posted.
  • My graduate school project is coming to a quick end, and I’m already wishing I had more time to develop it. I loved studying social media and its relation to writing. I definitely want to do more with this project in the future.
  • Speaking of school, my kick ass mentor Porochista won a NEA Grant! And so did two other amazing teachers in my program. Great job ladies!
  • Oh, and the Director of my MFA program won the Best Fiction Connecticut Book Award for his novel Beautiful Assassin.

 

Edit: I never finished this post yesterday morning. I had plans of finishing it when I got home, but instead I watched some X Factor and fell asleep. This morning I woke up to a comment from the aforementioned Michaela, and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy, because we were both thinking of each other yesterday. I really miss her.

i just don’t..

by // // 1 Comment

Inspired by Ashley and Becky’s posts, I decided to also share all the things I don’t do.
Ashley wrote about the mask of perfection, in the sense that, while there are so many wonderful things she has experienced or witnessed via blogging, she also see so much “perfection” on blogs that just seem too good to be true. She suggested we “declare ourselves rife with imperfection” (love that phrase) which I think is just the greatest thing we can all do. Here goes nothing…

  • While I do actually work at my 101 in 1001 list, I never update the blog. This drives me insane personally, because I take notes and take photos; all I need to do is post them. My first 101 list ended on 10/1/2011, and my second one started 10/2/11. I haven’t even posted or updated anything about the new list! I’m so behind schedule.
  • I don’t write nearly as much as a graduate student (in creative writing) should. I hate to admit it, but it is true. That is something I have been working on very hard this semester, and I should probably pat myself on the back and admit that it is slightly getting better.
  • I haven’t been on the 20SB site in forever. I love the community and what it has grown to be, but I’m neglecting it.
  • I buy birthday, holiday, new house, new baby, new job, congratulations, thank you, retirement and sympathy cards all the time. When I need one, I usually fill it out and address it. Then it sits somewhere stamp-less for way too long. I just found a card for one of my friend’s who got an awesome job in May. It is November and it was never mailed.
  • I don’t know how to cook very much. I can cook killer breakfasts: anything with eggs, pancakes, waffles, french toast, cinnamon rolls, monkey bread.  I make a mean spaghetti, great chow mein, mac and cheese, oh yeah I made a great salmon (like twice) ehhhh… I can grill stuff good too. I sear a tuna like a  pro. Basically, I’ve been learning how to cook. Mr. O has been helping me learn, and I’m excited about it.
  • I don’t spend as much time with my grandparents as I would like to. I know how important it is, and I just need to put more effort in.
  • I don’t comment on blogs like I used to. I read every single post in my reader, and I “star” so many of them so that when I have a chance I can go over and comment. But 1/2 the time I never end up doing it. 🙁
  • I don’t ever complete a NaBloPoMo. Ever. I’m on day three and going strong though, so I’ve got hope for this month.
  • I don’t clean my apartment like a normal human. I’m hardly ever there, so I tend to just let things pile up until it is a big mess and then try like hell to attack it all at once.
  • I don’t do my laundry more than once a week. In fact there is a good chance that I do my laundry every other week. How? Well, I’m fortunate to own a LOT of clothing. The only thing that stinks about this is that I usually do a LOT of loads all at once.
  • I don’t get my oil changes on time… EVER. I wait and I wait and I wait and then the guilt piles up and finally I get it done.
  • I don’t send attachments in emails. Most of the time. I’ll send an email out at work that says something like, “reference the attached email,” but then forget to attach it.
  • I don’t remember half of what I am supposed to. It is sad, but true. Lists keep me sane.
  • I don’t complete 98% of the DIY or craft projects I aim to. I still however love to shop at Michael’s and AC Moore.
  • I don’t watch Grey’s Anatomy this season. It is my favorite show, but I just can’t remember to put it on.
  • I don’t wash my hair everyday. If I did it would be stringy and gross. However. If I go more than 48 hours without washing it, it will be ridiculously greasy. It’s a lose-lose.
  • I don’t floss as often as I should. I’ve got no excuses for this one.
  • I don’t write in my diary. I like my diary, but between school, this blog and the talking I do with friends and family, there isn’t that much more to say.
  • I don’t wake up early enough for work every single morning, which in turns make me rushed and almost/sometimes late.

this is how i know there is something wrong with me

by // // 3 Comments

I can admit my faults, and folks, there is definitely something wrong with me.

I’m a big fan of NaBloPoMo… I’ve attempted it about I don’t know, maybe 6 or 7 times. Unfortunately, I’ve never successfully completed the beast. NaBloPoMo is National Blog Posting Month. The idea behind it is to post once a day every single day in the month. November is the “official” month, but people do it every month.

I’m also a fan of NaNoWriMo. That stands for National Novel Writing Month. Last year was the first year I attempted it… and when I say that I attempted it, what I really mean is that I worked hard at it for about a total of 8 days (at most). The idea is similar; you spend 30 days writing a novel. It averages out to about 50,000 words, which is about 1,667 a day.

Have you got the hint as to why there is something majorly wrong with me?
I’m going to attempt them both.

You read that correctly. It is sick, I know, I know. But here is the thing… Actually completing a NaBloPoMo is on my new list of 101 in 1001 goals. So why not at least attempt it in the first full month? And as for NaNoWriMo? Yeah, that is a wild undertaking… Well, I’m going to be upfront about the fact that I am not attempting to write a novel. I am going for the 50,000 words, but 1) it will be all nonfiction and 2) there is a pretty major chance those words will be in essays. I’m pushing myself this month, because my thesis is due in approximately 7 months, and I know that I’m not as prepared as I would like to be. I’m not there yet, and even if I write a horrible 50,000 word draft, I will still be better off than I am right now.

Am I crazy? Absolutely.

But here goes nothing…

on overwhelming myself

by // // 2 Comments

I tend to overwhelm myself. I do this by waiting until the last minute to complete things or by taking on more than I can handle.

Now, that last sentence is all relative. At different times I have been able to “handle” more or less, depending on what is happening in my life.

I bet if I looked back through this blog since I began graduate school, I’d find a post like this every time my writing packets were due. I wish I knew how to change this fact about myself. I’d like to say it has gotten better every semester, but I’m not sure that fact is true. Well, I shouldn’t be too hard on myself. I have gotten better. I just want to be a lot better than I am right now.

Here is what I need to have written (at a minimum): 18 pages of nonfiction, 5 pages of nonfiction, 1 poem, and a bunch of my own writing for my 3rd semester project (you should submit too!!!!). This all needs to be completed by Friday. Yes, Friday. And in truth, I should have had the 18 pages completed and sent out YESTERDAY to my writing group, which meets TOMORROW. Yes, tomorrow. Which means, I need to HUSTLE and throw something together. Which also means my submission to my writing group is going to be half-assed. Which means, I’m shorting myself the good critiques I need.

I want to do fun stuff like bake oreo cheesecakes and search online for houses and watch movies with my love and upload pictures to Facebook instead of doing my homework. Oh, wait… that is all I did this weekend.

One thing I can say that I’ve been doing a good job with is writing every day for 15 minutes straight. It has been very helpful. The problem is that what I’m writing is much more journal-ish than nonfiction-ish.

Enough whining. Today I’m going to go to work and get a lot done, then Mr. O and I will walk Fenway, pick up Wolverine (my new blog nickname for Mr. O’s son) and we will go grocery shopping together. Then we are going to go home, I’m going to cook them Chow Mein for dinner and then it is going to be a night of writing for me.

Speaking of food, last week I decided I want to start cooking for Mr. O and myself one time a week. I dont’ have the greatest cooking skills, and the only way to change that is to start cooking. So for my first week, I made spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread. I didn’t take any photographs, boo. Today I’m making Chow Mein. Both dishes are easy for me, but I’ve got to start where I am comfortable. Oh, and on Saturday I made an Oreo Cheesecake (my first cheesecake!) I will try to remember to take photos, and I’ll be sure to do a blog post about it all soon.

thought i would share

by // // 4 Comments

So 10/10 has officially past and I still have yet to finish my 101 in 1001 goals list. I plan on completing it by the weekend. What bums me out is that this weekend I will be completing two items which are currently already on the new list! One is a carryover from the last list (Ride on a train) and the other is a new item, but one that I added to the list in September. Grr. Do they count if I still haven’t “activated” the new list? I don’t know. You tell me.

I keep thinking these really interesting thoughts that I swear would make for great blogs, but I can never seem to remember them when it is time to sit down and write a post. I’m seriously going to have to buckle down and write my thoughts on a notebook, or even the notepad on my iPhone.

Speaking of my iPhone, I’m pretty bummed about Steve Jobs’ death. I mean, I get sad when anyone I know– or know of– passes away. But, I think he was a visionary. I also think he said some pretty rad quotes.

As much as I truly don’t think I’d ever like to do this project again (well, at least at a scale as large as I did last time- 365 days straight) but I do miss listing the things I am grateful for every day. I’m a pretty thankful person, which I think is super awesome. I have a heart that is overflowing with love. So I generally always acknowledge my gratitude, but I guess there is something about publicly being thankful for something. So today, I am grateful for “Family Dinners”. Usually once a week Mr. O, his son (who I still need a blog nickname for) and I will get together with Mr. O’s best friend (“Jackie”), his girlfriend (“Kim”), and her two children for dinner. Someone (or a couple of us) will cook, then we will eat together, catch up on things and clean up together too. It is really nice to spend that time together every week. There are many times I miss this dinner because I’m off doing graduate school related things, but I really appreciate my friends, the kiddies and my wonderful boyfriend. This is how I like to spend my time, and these moments are the ones I want to create my “past.”

been a while…

by // // 1 Comment

Hello friends!

So very sorry that it has been so long since I’ve posted on here. Life crept up on me in September and I am still trying to catch up with everything. Last week I announced my graduate school project, The Story Behind the Status,  and I’m glad to say that the reception has been really good. I’ve got a lot of questions and comments about the project. I still need to work on the website a little and post some links, but I’m happy to announce that so far, everything is working out.

So my first 101 in 1001 challenge is officially over. I finished it on 10/1/11. One of my goals was to complete a new 101 goals list, which I am currently working on. My plan was to start challenge #2 on 10/10/11 with a completion date of 7/7/14, but unless I can finish the list by the end of the day, I might have to find a new date to begin.

What I really need to do tonight is organize my life. I have so many things to do. Between work, school and my personal life, I feel as if I have this ridiculous, scary, insurmountable to-do list. It gets worse though, because I don’t actually have all these items written down, which is paramount for me. If it is not written down, then it doesn’t get done. Unfortunately, that is kind of a life motto for me. I survive with the help of lists. If I don’t have them, then it is as my brain/body assumes I have nothing to do.

Both my birthday and Mr. O’s birthday was in September. I promise to share all the juicy details soon, which include batting cages, sickness, waffles and pho.

Also since I’ve last written, I vacationed in Vermont and New Hampshire. Both vacations were short trips, but I think they both deserve their own post. Plus, I take fun photos.

This was the first year I didn’t plan or do floral design for any weddings. I was a bridesmaid in one wedding this year, and a guest at another wedding (both of which were amazing weddings), but I didn’t make any weddings (or special events) happen. I’m not really sure how I feel about this. Part of me feels a little refreshed and relaxed. In the past few years between being in weddings and planning/designing weddings (or both), I got really burnt out. My love for all things event related never went away, but it just took a lot out of me. I do miss it; I enjoy being involved with important moment in people’s lives. Times like this though, I need to realize that I can’t be everywhere, and I can’t do everything. My focus needs to be on school, my relationship, friends and family and work. Everything else that I can fit in to my life is just an added bonus.

Speaking about focusing on school, I will be graduating (hopefully) in 9 months. I’m going to call this new phase my thesis pregnancy. I have 9 months (well technically less, because I need to submit my thesis probably a month or more before graduation) to complete a creative thesis for school. I’m writing a memoir of linked essays. I still don’t understand how I will have a book completed in 9 months, but I’m going to stop worrying about it and start working on it. I do have the freedom to take an extra semester to study, but ideally I want to graduate with my class, and I want to start teaching at the college level. So, I hope you’ll be here for my throughout my thesis gestation period, because I am going to need all the support I can get.

Also, tomorrow I will be posting the next installment of my Defining Moments guest blogging series. You’re not going to want to miss this one!

august awesomeness

by // // 5 Comments

I like to have goals, to have things to look forward to. So, I’ve decided that from now on, every month I’m going to try to post a monthly “wish list” and also a “check up” at the end of the month.

August Awesomeness:

Books: I’d like to read a few books this month. I’d also like to sell/donate an extreme amount of books in August as well. I have well over 400 books. Yes I love reading. Yes, I love owning books. Unfortunately, I just have too many, and I don’t need even half of what I own. I’d like to have a booksale on the blog…would any of you be interested in this?

Travel: I plan on going camping this month. Mr. O and I would like to go this weekend, but I don’t think there are any sites at the place we wanted to go. Either way, we’ve reserved a site mid-month, so camping will more than likely happen. I also want to plan a weekend get away in September and then a weekend somewhere in October that Mr. O’s son will enjoy. There are a few family resorts around here, so I have some ideas, but I just want to make some definite plans this month.

Blogging: I’d like to make some more time for this blog. September will be one year since I launched Reinventing Erin. I’m happy with the blog, I just want to give it a little more attention- especially on the design front. I neeeeeeeeeeeed a new header. (Does anyone want to design one for me?) There is a blog I’m not happy with though, and that is my 101 in 1001 goals blog. My first 101 in 1001 challenge is going to be up in less than two months, and I seriously need to update the list now so that I can figure out what else I can do before it’s too late. I’d also really like to get out there and find some new blogs to read. If you haven’t introduced yourselves yet, now is a good time to do so!

Cleaning: I started to get into this with the books before, but I need to purge. I’ve got so much crap in my apartment, and I feel like my life is turning into an episode of Hoarders (Okay, so I’m being dramatic). I feel overwhelmed when it comes to cleaning, because I have so much stuff and I don’t know what to do with it. I’d like to change this around. I found a few ideas on Pinterest I really like in regards to organizing. I’ll try to post some before and after photos if I remember. I’m starting this tonight with my bathroom, so fingers crossed.

Writing: I’ve got so much writing to do for school. I procrastinate so badly, and I am really desperately trying to stop that. I need to learn how to write daily, or at least every other day. I don’t care if my writing is crap, but I want to get words on the paper. New goal for the month: write at least four times a week.

I think that is enough for now. I don’t want to overdo myself; I just want to make sure I’m accomplishing the goals I actually want to complete over the next 30 days.

lists

by // // 1 Comment

I like lists.

  • I’m pretty proud of Ray Allen for breaking the 3 point record last week.
  • I had the best Valentine’s Day of my life last night. It was heartfelt and noncommercial-just as it should be.
  • Yes, I celebrated Valentine’s Day.
  • MY GRANDMOTHER TURNED 100 YEARS OLD LAST WEEK!
  • I’m kind of overwhelmed with life in general (in a good way). I just wish I felt more organized while feeling overwhelmed. I don’t mind being calm and pulled in a thousand directions. I do mind being disorganized.
  • I turn in my first packet of the semester today. I guess I can take a day “off” tomorrow.
  • Tomorrow I’m going party dress shopping.
  • This weekend I will be going to Foxwoods to be celebrating my friends’ birthdays.
  • I have unrealistic expectations about writing. Somehow I think just because I’m so dedicated to it that it should come naturally. It does not work that way. Writing takes practice. Regular practice.
  • I started watching Glee, and all I can think about is how I should have started long, long ago.
  • I haven’t updated my 101 in 1001 in a serious amount of time. MUST do so this week!
  • The first official Masshole Writers meeting happened this past Saturday. It was spectacular.
  • I love my FUMFA older brother and little sister like WOAH.
  • I got my FUMFA Polar Bear Plunge tshirt in the mail. Cant wait to wear it!

…to be continued

nothing novel

by // // No Comments

Earlier today I mentioned that I usually have striking thoughts at “12:24am” of possible blog posts, writing ideas, etc.

Well, its 12:33am and as much as I was hoping some magical thoughts would appear, they’ve appeared to allude me this evening. Did I mention though that I finally received my MacBook Pro in the mail tonight? The jury is still out on how I feel about this new computer. Part of me is so excited, and I just can’t hide it, but then the other part of me feels like I’m Sleeping Beauty waiting for that damn kiss already! But, I’ve tried to play a little tonight, and I am head over heels in love with the PhotoBooth application. I might look like a hot mess, but I swear this will majorly help me with my 101 in 1001 project. I thought I’d share with you one of this evenings masterpieces:

There is one more thing I want to address. Someone found my blog the other day by searching for “Fairfield MFA”….yikes! I wish I were actually writing more posts, because I kind of feel like a bad representation of the student body. Regardless though, if that person ever comes back to read me again… WELCOME, and feel free to ask me anything you want to know about Fairfield and the MFA program. I am finishing up my first semester in the program, and in all honesty, I am head over heels completely in love with the school. I had a ridiculously hard time trying to decide which offer I should take for MFA programs, and after the decision was made, it was impossible for me to look back. It seems like every day that program surprises me with wonderful, exciting, new opportunities, etc. Also, the staff (and students) are simply jaw dropping superb. So send me an email or leave me a comment, and we can chat more.

Just don’t judge the program by my cliches or bad grammar or lack of capitalization. Yeah, that’s not a good idea 😉

beating myself up

by // // 2 Comments

So, there is a chance that you will be hearing from me more often. If you don’t know, I’m currently working on a 101 in 1001 days challenge. I love it oh so much, and it has seriously enhanced my life. If you haven’t checked out my other blog, you might as well make your way over there right now to check it out. That is where I document all the fun things that I’ve done while working on my 101 goals.

Anyway, because I like to torture myself, I’m going to try to do a double goal combo starting November 1st. NaNoWriMo and NaBloPoMo. If you don’t know what those are, you can find more info out via the links, but basically it means I need to post on this little blog of mine every single day. In the past, that has either been really difficult or super easy, so I am going to keep my fingers crossed for this one. I don’t know why I’m trying to torture myself like this, but I am hoping it will also help me with my writing.

Here is the problem. NaNoWriMo only happens once a year- in November. My 101 in 1001 challenging will be finished on 10/1/11. So if you’re a quick thinker, you’ve already figured out that this is my final November that I can participate. So its now or never. Either get on the horse or quit complaining.

I decided to go for it.

So, obviously it needs to be tweaked a bit to make it work. I’m not writing fiction. I don’t even know if fiction is what everyone does or not, but since its the National Novel Writing Month, not the National Memoir Writing Month, I’ll just assume fiction is the status quo. But, I like to be different. Which means I will try to complete the first draft of a “memoir”. The reason I through that in quotes is because I’m not quite sure what that even means to me. I know the goal is 50,000 words at minimum. To be considered victorious, 50, 000 words must be written by 11:59pm on November 30, 2010. So, what I’ve decided to do is try to outline some type of memoir-ish collection of essays. I think that will help me the most in school right now, and while it isn’t the most marketable type of book, I’m not doing this to get a writing deal. I’m truly doing it to become a better writer, scratch that… I’m doing this to become a better student.

And god knows I need some help with that. With every packet I have turned in for graduate school, things have gotten easier. Its just so hard for me to figure out a schedule. I don’t know how to work with deadlines, how to schedule time for writing, etc. I’m working on it, and I see improvement, but I need more. So, while torturing myself to write 50,000 words in 30 days, I’m doing it so I can learn how to be a better writing. 1,667 words a day is structure. I need some type of structure.

You know whats funny? I have a deadline on 11/1 and 12/1 for school. I also will be going on vacation for about 5 days before the end of the month. I mean, seriously…I don’t get why I make these choices, either. I just can’t control myself.

So, the goal is to complete a collection of nonfiction essays for NaNoWriMo.I bet you’re wondering why I mentioned NaBloPoMo before. Thats because I have one more month to “complete” for my 101 in 1001 goal. I figured that since I will be writing all day, I might as well be on here writing as well. There is really no excuse not to do it. So… I will also attempt to complete NaBloPoMo in November as well. I thought it would be awesome if I could post little excerpts of my writing on here… and since the goal of NaNoWriMo is to produce, not edit, it really will be little excerpts.

Wish me luck.

slow and steady wins the race

by // // 3 Comments

I walked in my first road race!

This was a goal on my 101 in 1001 list. On 10/3/10 my best friend and I walked in a 5k. We pretty much started at the end of the line, and when we finished, we didn’t quite know where the finish line was. We got mixed around and people pointed us in the wrong direction, so we technically didn’t finish at the time we walked under the finish line. So, it is my assumption that we finished the race in less than an hour, but as you will see below, we walked under at 1 hour, 5 minutes and 55 seconds.

image

image

%d bloggers like this: