In May, when I participated in the Word Count Blogathon, I wrote articles for Simply Nooner every day. I thought it would end up being a chore, but it wasn't. It was actually pretty fun. So I'm going to keep it up.
Starting this week, I'll be publishing articles three days a week on Simply Nooner. Mondays will be about writing or other creative endeavors; Wednesdays will showcase running or fitness topics, and Fridays will be about gluten-free life. If you'd like to see more gluten-free articles, feel free to hop on over to Li Loves David, where there will be new articles published every Tuesday and Thursday.
Today, I've been thinking about knitting. I know I haven't mentioned it much, but I'm a knitter. A chick with sticks. I knit so I don't kill people...ooops, did I say that out loud? Anyhow, I really enjoy knitting. And I haven't picked up a pair of needles in six months.
Wait, what? Has it really been that long?
Yes, it has. And I know why.
We adopted two rambunctious kittens about nine months ago. They were adorable, and into everything. So I put away the needles and the yarn until they calmed down. Because you know how cats are with yarn. And then something happened....
They didn't calm down.
What?
Sigh. They are still rambunctious. And older. And bigger. And smarter. And better able to get into things.
So I guess I just need to watch my yarn like a hawk, and make sure it's safely locked away when I'm not actually knitting. And maybe stay away from wool for a while.
Time to look at patterns...
Showing posts with label Fiber Artistry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fiber Artistry. Show all posts
Monday, June 20, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy 2011!
Do you make New Year’s resolutions? I do - I always have. I don’t always follow them, though. I used to stick with the general ones, like I’m going to lose weight or I’m going to do better in school or at my job. But somehow, those vague ideas would be forgotten by the end of March at the latest. So now I stick with quantifiable goals, which gives me something specific to shoot for. And announcing them publicly seems to keep me on track.
I was going to call this the Big Scary List of 2011, but really, only the first two items on it are big and scary, and I completed them (mostly) in 2010. What’s left is a bunch of fun stuff. So here it is, the Exciting, Exhilarating, and Super Fun list of 2011.
Quit my job. (First Big Scary one.) I did it! I turned in my resignation in December, and am now officially unemployed. Or at least, I will be by the end of January. (I’ve agreed to work part time until they hire a replacement.) Why would I do such a crazy thing, give up perfectly sound paid employment, in an economy like this? You’ll find out below.
Register for and run a half marathon. (Second Big Scary one.) I am already registered for the Miami Half Marathon in January, so now I just have to make it to the race in one piece and finish it.
Now the fun ones!
Read 50 books. I mean, really, how fun will this be? That averages less than one book a week. Even not counting audio books, which I sometimes listen to while running, I predict that I’ll have this one done by the end of September.
Edit my novels, find an agent, and become a published novelist. This one is huge, and is the reason why I quit my job. It has long been my dream to be a published writer, and now I have no more excuses. (Well, I’ll always have excuses, but I can’t say that I don’t have the time!) Currently I have two novels in first draft. I need to work on revisions, and then start the arduous process of trying to get them published. I know it’s a long road, so I’ll be absolutely ecstatic if I can get my novels revised and find an agent before the end of the year.
Write another novel before 2012. This will definitely happen in November, with National Novel Writing Month. Maybe I can even eke out another during June Novel Writing Month, who knows?
Run a half marathon every month. That means running 13.1 miles (or more) at a time, once a month. Seriously, I’m totally addicted to my running now. And I’ve done this in training 3 times so far. I know that I can’t run an official race every month without major travel, which is a little out of the picture right now. (I quit my job, remember?) But I’m counting training runs. This one is definitely doable.
Train for and run a marathon. This is about taking my running to the next level. I love the process of training, and I adore my weekend long runs. I’m just not sure I’ll be strong enough by the end of the year – it’s taken almost a year of steady training to get to the point where I’m comfortable with a half marathon. 26.2 miles is a totally different animal. Luckily there are several marathons held locally at the end of the year, giving me plenty of options. That means I can take my time training, and hopefully avoid injury. And if I don’t make it this year, there’s always the Miami Marathon in 2012!
Travel to South America. Yeah, I know. No job, no money. But David and I really, really want to go to Ecuador. And where there’s a will, there’s a way. I feel good about this one.
Do something creative every week. Okay, this one is a little vague. To be more specific, I’m going to spend more time writing in my blogs, knitting, crocheting, and trying out some of the other crafty-type things I’ve not had time for. No excuses!
Okay, I think that’s enough to start with. Happy New Year, all!
I was going to call this the Big Scary List of 2011, but really, only the first two items on it are big and scary, and I completed them (mostly) in 2010. What’s left is a bunch of fun stuff. So here it is, the Exciting, Exhilarating, and Super Fun list of 2011.
Quit my job. (First Big Scary one.) I did it! I turned in my resignation in December, and am now officially unemployed. Or at least, I will be by the end of January. (I’ve agreed to work part time until they hire a replacement.) Why would I do such a crazy thing, give up perfectly sound paid employment, in an economy like this? You’ll find out below.
Register for and run a half marathon. (Second Big Scary one.) I am already registered for the Miami Half Marathon in January, so now I just have to make it to the race in one piece and finish it.
Now the fun ones!
Read 50 books. I mean, really, how fun will this be? That averages less than one book a week. Even not counting audio books, which I sometimes listen to while running, I predict that I’ll have this one done by the end of September.
Edit my novels, find an agent, and become a published novelist. This one is huge, and is the reason why I quit my job. It has long been my dream to be a published writer, and now I have no more excuses. (Well, I’ll always have excuses, but I can’t say that I don’t have the time!) Currently I have two novels in first draft. I need to work on revisions, and then start the arduous process of trying to get them published. I know it’s a long road, so I’ll be absolutely ecstatic if I can get my novels revised and find an agent before the end of the year.
Write another novel before 2012. This will definitely happen in November, with National Novel Writing Month. Maybe I can even eke out another during June Novel Writing Month, who knows?
Run a half marathon every month. That means running 13.1 miles (or more) at a time, once a month. Seriously, I’m totally addicted to my running now. And I’ve done this in training 3 times so far. I know that I can’t run an official race every month without major travel, which is a little out of the picture right now. (I quit my job, remember?) But I’m counting training runs. This one is definitely doable.
Train for and run a marathon. This is about taking my running to the next level. I love the process of training, and I adore my weekend long runs. I’m just not sure I’ll be strong enough by the end of the year – it’s taken almost a year of steady training to get to the point where I’m comfortable with a half marathon. 26.2 miles is a totally different animal. Luckily there are several marathons held locally at the end of the year, giving me plenty of options. That means I can take my time training, and hopefully avoid injury. And if I don’t make it this year, there’s always the Miami Marathon in 2012!
Travel to South America. Yeah, I know. No job, no money. But David and I really, really want to go to Ecuador. And where there’s a will, there’s a way. I feel good about this one.
Do something creative every week. Okay, this one is a little vague. To be more specific, I’m going to spend more time writing in my blogs, knitting, crocheting, and trying out some of the other crafty-type things I’ve not had time for. No excuses!
Okay, I think that’s enough to start with. Happy New Year, all!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Choices
After an experience I had at work today, I was going to write about how many people there are out there that deserve to be killed. But that seemed pretty grim. So I thought about it for a while, and I decided to look at the glass as half full instead. So I’m going to write about why I don’t kill people. Much more pleasant, don’t you think?
Why I don’t kill people:
1. Love – the love for my spousal unit and my furry critter keep me in line. They might not love me as much if I started murdering. Well, the cat probably would. Until I went to jail and could no longer provide a lap for her to shnooze upon. Then she’d get over me pretty quickly.
2. Cooking – I love to eat, therefore I love to cook. Food used to poison me. Thankfully, I have figured out what I can and cannot eat, and now food is again a joyous event. I have a blog dedicated to my exploits in the kitchen; you can read more at Li loves David.
3. Laughter – I was blessed with a sense of humor. Don’t roll your eyes; a lot of people are born without the humor gene. I know this to be true; I work with quite a few of them. My sense of humor helps me to see that absurd people should be mocked, not murdered. See more at OMG! I LOL’d.
4. Fiber Artistry – my obsession began with knitting. Then came crochet. Now I’m branching into recycling and upcycling fiber, and trying new techniques. You’ll be seeing a lot of that here in the future. I'm completely addicted. It’s gotten so bad that when I'm surfing the net, my spousal unit knows I'm looking at yarn porn.
5. Writing – oh, my gosh, I love to write. Almost as much as I love to eat. Then why, you ask, don’t I keep my blogs up to date? Why isn’t my novel published already, instead of wallowing in endless revisions? Well, writing takes concentration, and time. A lot of it. And these days, time is a precious commodity. I’m working on organizing and simplifying, and hopefully will free up some time soon. Then I’ll see you all at my book signing.
6. Exercise – yes, you read that correctly. Exercise. I never, ever thought I would become one of those people who live to work out. And yet, I’m becoming one of those people who lives to work out! Seriously! I even get up an hour earlier, just so I have the time to go to the gym. (See? There’s that time thing again.)
Anyhow, the above list is why I don’t kill people. But what does all this have to do with simplifying and conservation? Well, I don’t think jail would simplify my life. Going off to live in a tiny space, with no possessions, a limited wardrobe, nowhere to go, no expectations, nothing to do but exercise and write…
Um, wait a minute, that all sounds pretty simple. But they might not let me cook or have yarn in jail. And there's probably not a lot of humor to be found. I don't want to take that chance. I’ll stick with my non-murdering ways.
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