I think I broke my brain

Tags

blogging, postaday2013, Posting, writing

I’m not kidding, since I finished my 50,000 words and Thanksgiving dinner, my brain has felt foggy and syrupy. I think that I can safely attribute it to overdoing it. So this is why I am resting, my brain does feel kind of broken. I went to bed last night with a headache and woke up with it slowly becoming migraine-like. I dragged myself to the store for Ibuprofen and four caplets later, it is down to a slow thud.

The reason that I wrote that I broke my brain is that I am pretty sure that my last few posts have been awful and non-sensical. I can’t wait for my brain to come back to normal, it will be nice to have a refreshed brain , it would make writing more enjoyable. It stinks when you are writing and your mind feels syrupy. Syrupy is fine for pancakes, not for writing.

Arghh, maybe this is the onset of a cold, noooooooooo! I hope not. Anyway, I hope that everyone has a very nice day and hopefully tomorrow, my brain will feel better, more alert, more spry and back in business for better writing.

Daily prompt: Connect the Dots

Tags

blogging, compassion, news stories, postaday2013, sadness, uplifting, writing

Scour the news for an entirely uninteresting story. Consider how it connects to your life. Write about that.

This prompt is almost implausible because part of the purpose of any news story is to make it interesting for the reader and if it isn’t, it doesn’t make it onto the page. Those spaces of blank paper are worth money, uninteresting doesn’t pay the bills. If there is an ounce of empathy or compassion in a person, any story will be interesting and can be connected to your life.

I spend hours every day reading about stories that impact others all over the world in a variety of ways and I am always interested because I do feel connected, we are all human and things do happen, no one is an island onto themselves and so the human experience is that bond that links us all. Which is why I really don’t understand hate and judgement, I can easily put myself in someone else’s shoes and so the thought of making someone feel pain or shame is hurtful to me.

I know what it’s like to be the target of bullies and hateful, judgmental people over things that are so silly, but since I know how it feels I would never ever want to be the one to cause another the anguish, sadness and fear that I felt at various times at school or outside after school.

I don’t even know how my thoughts came to this, unfortunately it seems that most news stories tend to cover our basest emotions, it is rare to read about the feel good stories unless you scour the papers for stories on baby animals and often those come with heartbreaking tales of abandonment, suffering and human cruelty towards the baby animals mother.

I would like to end this post on a happier note, I have found one newsletter that is forever uplifting, it is called Paris Breakfast and it is a daily newsletter written by an exceptionally talented water color artists Carol Gillot who paints Paris dreams of pastry, caramels and chocolates during her daily excursions out and about in Paris.
http://parisbreakfasts.blogspot.com/2013/11/fetish-ispahan.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ParisBreakfast+%28Paris+Breakfast%29
I highly recommend going and having a look see, it is a delight and will have you dreaming of delightful delectables.

Nanowrimo begins

Tags

blogging, facials, NaNoWriMo, postaday2013, writing

Today is day one and after being on the road with my hubby and having finally gotten home, after I am done with this post I am going to sit, write as many words for The Chic Bootlegger as possible before getting too tired. I had a full day, while my hubby was in meeting after meeting, he made arrangements for me to get a facial and a manicure/pedicure. I have to say that the facial was an experience and a half, it was a marine themed facial and I don’t know what was put on my face but the constant facial massage was divine. I did not want it to end and when it did, inside my head I was saying “don’t stop” I told the nice lady that she had hit every single stress spot; my shoulders, my neck and my sinuses and my temples. Her name is Josephina, she hails from Guatemala, she has wonderful hands and we had a wonderful conversation during the manicure/pedicure part. There was absolute silence during the facial time and it was glorious, it allowed me to focus on the aromatherapy of the facial. All of the scents involved transported me to France, specifically to the bathroom at Tantine Cecile’s, the lingering scents of her soap and her shampoo. I felt so very relaxed while my neck and shoulders were being deeply massaged and then the hands would move to my temples and my forehead and in firm circular motions, made the negative feelings fade away. It felt wonderful. Now to writing my novel. It’s funny that I need a self imposed deadline to get me to write. Actually it isn’t funny, I was the same in college, without a deadline I flailed at writing. So here is to a month’s worth of novel writing.

Thoughts about driving

Tags

blogging, cars, Driving, postaday2013, writing

My hubby and I have been driving a lot these past few weeks. I have been noticing the difference between driving in Boston, New York and most recently what it was like to be driven around in taxis in Miami. Both my hubby and I learned how to drive in New York City, so for us driving in New York is a known and comfortable experience. I have over the years learned how to drive in Boston which is a little different than New York because of how the city is set up, but overall the concept of city driving is the same. The key is being prepared before hand, starting your drive with a clear idea of where you are going and being proactive in your driving behavior. I know that there are times that you will find yourself driving lost and in those situations the key to keeping it together is to not panic, pull over and get your bearings, you will get there eventually. If there is one lesson that I have learned over the years of driving all over the place, I will get there when I get there. That simple saying takes a lot of pressure away from me and it allows me to concentrate on the road.

Driving in Miami is something that I definitely do not want to do, when we were down there together in the beginning of October,we witnessed a loud car accident right in front of the campus gates and I have to admit, I wasn’t surprised that it had happened, the street signs are poorly placed, the rules of the road seem to be ignored by the majority of drives, I didn’t feel safe as a pedestrian. I felt basically the same way I did when I was in Rome twenty years ago, in fear for my life when I was crossing the street. That may be an exaggeration, but still Miami is not a city that I want to drive in, I will take taxis thank you very much.

Driving in Europe used to be so different than driving here in the United States, the speeds were greater and the orientation of cities and towns are quite different. However for the most part I have never had an issue driving through France and Spain, it took a day or two to get comfortable driving at higher speeds but nowadays the speed limits have gotten closer to what we have in the States so I don’t see the difference, but having said this I don’t think that I would ever voluntarily drive in Paris. I never have in the past and I don’t see it in my future. I have driven in other French cities but Paris just seems much too crazy for me. It reminds me too much of Rome, a truly magnificent city but be careful when you cross the street. London is another city that I wouldn’t drive in because they drive on the side of the road that I am not conditioned to drive and that would be bad for all parties involved. It wouldn’t be pretty, it would be chaotic.

All of this driving has made me realize that as my hubby and I are getting older one of the things that we will have to take into account is what driving means to us and how we are going to manage our driving requirements. This is partly why moving to Boston in the future makes a lot of sense, we will be living in a city that has an excellent metro system. I say this because after a lifetime of driving, if I won lotto tomorrow, the first thing that I would do is employ a chauffeur, so that driving would become a choice and not the necessity it is nowadays. I had the unpleasant experience of having to put my foot down and tell my mother-in-law that she was no longer allowed to drive and it was an ongoing fight. I will not do that to my babies so that is why my hubby and I will be proactive and relocate eventually to the city so that we will no longer be dependent on the automobile.

Daily prompt : The ————– is the new —————

Tags

blogging, postaday2013, Posting, writing

Click over to your favorite blog, and pick out the 4th and 14th words (that aren’t “the” or “an”). Drop them into this phrase: “_____ is the new _____.” There’s your post title. Now write!

I hate playing favorites but I will head over to one of mine, she is kind, nurturing and makes me laugh each and every time I read any one of her posts. I am heading over there right now, http://www.thelaughinghousewife.wordpress.com.

Blogging is the New Me. What a powerful phrase. It is one that I can definitely identify with, once I let my curiosity lead me down the writing path with WordPress and I committed to writing daily, I can seriously say that blogging is the new me. I love blogging and writing, I stumbled onto a large, welcoming and powerful community and my life is richer and fuller because of it. Writing has replaced therapy and to have my therapist break up with me because writing had done for me what hours of talking never did, I acknowledge my therapists’ professional integrity in letting me go off with her blessing.

Even if blogging is not someone’s thing, I would always recommend keeping a journal or a diary, even if you never read anything that you have written, just the act of putting emotions, thoughts, hopes and dreams down on paper makes a big difference in your emotional temperature. I find that for myself the simple act of writing chases away my angst, anxiety and fears and I feel so much better just writing down the simplest and mundane things about myself and my life.

On another note, I highly recommend visiting TheLaughingHousewife and if you want to acquaint yourself with another friend of mine, I also urge you to visit http://www.weescoops.wordpress.com. She is a fascinating woman and a wonderful poet.

Daily prompt : Release me

Tags

blogging, comments, personal, postaday2013, writing

Tell us about the blog post you were most nervous to publish — and what it was like to set it free.

I haven’t been nervous about publishing my posts, at least the ones on my personal blog. I haven’t yet shared any deep dark secrets about myself, that may come later in life or not. When I do share my thoughts about my struggles with anorexia and my recovery, I am not nervous about sharing them, on the contrary I hope that if someone can be helped or at least feels that they aren’t alone, that makes writing about it even easier.

On the other hand, my political blog is a different story. There have been a few instances when I have had less then amiable comments or responses. While at the moment of publishing, nervousness isn’t part of my mindset, sometimes after I click the publish button, I reread what I have written and say to myself “this might not go over very well with some people who disagree with my political philosophy” and more often than not, I do get a negative response telling me how incredibly wrong I am and my views are what is destroying America. At first it was difficult to read those comments because it felt very personal but now I have come to accept them for what they are, a difference of opinion and thinking, I am free to think how I think and it’s my blog. So if they do not like it, they do not have to read it.

Views from a rooftop in Watertown MA

Tags

blogging, photography, pictures, postaday2013, style

I wanted to exercise today while I was waiting for my hubby so I walked for a bit and I saw a pretty building that had open stairs, I walked up five flights and got to the rooftop where I had such beautiful vistas all 360 around me. It was a truly glorious view, the autumn colors and the buildings, the landmarks and everything. I also have a confession to make; ever since my baby girl told me that I should get a real camera because I have a great eye for taking pictures, I have been looking for beautiful things to photograph. I never thought that I took good pictures but when my daughter said that to me and I trust her judgement and her taste. She has excellent fashion and decorating taste, not to mention a fabulous sense of style. She definitely doesn’t get it from me and I am grateful that she got it from somewhere. Being a girl was difficult for me because I never felt comfortable dressing up or wearing makeup because I never felt it, put me in pants, gorgeous men’s style shoes and an easy to care for hair style and I am so happy. My mother and my sister just know how to be feminine, I don’t. Anyway if my baby girl says I have an eye for photography then I believe her. 🙂

Daily prompt : Imitation is flattery

Tags

blogging, inspiration, postaday2013, writing

Write a post in the style of (or simply inspired by) a favorite author. Photographers, artists, poets: show us HOMAGE. Thanks for the great idea, dwbb96!

I will not even try to imitate my favorite authors, I would not want to insult their talents. I can pay homage to them by stating why I admire them so much. I love Emile Zola for his social commentary about the many facets of French society, he had the capacity to paint not just the environment but the people into true living portraits where the reader’s understanding of another country’s culture is deepened while being engaged in remarkable works of fiction.

Jane Austen, all things Jane Austen, I love all of her stories. My favorite couple of all time is Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. I also loved Sense and Sensibility and Emma. Jane Austen’s amazing ability to paint young ladies and their relationships in Victorian England is the primary reason why I adore her so. I have been fascinated by her heroines for so long and her writings have never gotten old in my estimation. I could only dream to hopefully infuse my heroine with half of the relate ability that say Lizzie Bennet has, I can only hope to aspire to Jane Austen’s talents, a hopeless illusion I know, but with writing as much as anything else, it is good to have goals.

Another favorite of mine is the late Robert Jordan of the Wheel of Time series. I am still mourning the end of the series. I made a nice bunch of friends during that series; Rand, Elayne, Matt, Perrin, Nynaeve and Egwene. He made their universe as real as ours for me. I am sad that he won’t be able to paint another universe into existence with his words.

What I am saying essentially I guess, is that all of my favorite authors know how to paint with their words and know their characters inside and out, so well that they know how to reveal them to us so that we get to know them and love them. That is what I am hoping to do eventually and probably clumsily, but still trying to achieve, the ultimate goal of having my heroine become beloved.

More on the subject of being thankful

Tags

blogging, pioneers, postaday2013, thankful, writing

I’m watching Friday night’s episode of “Hell on Wheels” shown on AMC. This is the third season so the year is 1867, it’s after the Civil War and documenting the development of the railroad heading out West. As a lady and living in the 21st century I am thankful that I wasn’t born during those times or in that setting. Pioneer life is not the life for me. The determination of these folks amidst the dangers, the difficulties and uncertainty of daily life is admirable and humbling. I am very interested in the character development of the women, the roles are very well written, there isn’t anyone who is one-dimensional or a caricature, we see the presence of prostitutes, pastors wives living side by side and when the struggles of daily existence get to be overwhelming, how the two come together discreetly to work it out. The gradual recognition that not everything is black and white and that judgement should not be handed down so easily as candy, comes through in most episodes. I am thankful for my 21st century life with plumbing and fresh water. That has been an ongoing thread of my blogging, the importance that I place on good plumbing, I might be able to handle anything else during those pioneer days except for outhouses and foul water.

Sorting out pictures and putting them in photo albums

Tags

blogging, pictures, postaday2013, time, writing

One of my household projects that I have been neglecting over the past few years because other things get in the way like baking, cooking, gardening and blogging, is getting all of our pictures into the empty photo albums that I got for Christmas quite a few years ago, hint, hint. I don’t know why I kept putting it off or even just forgetting about it because once I started, it was a lot of fun, going through time with the pictures. I was reminded that my hubby can’t take a bad picture, he is as handsome now as he was back then and always extremely photogenic. Don’t get me started on the babies; the smiles and the laughter at birthday parties, Christmas mornings and all of the family vacations, the pictures made me smile and linger, I spent a long time putting them into the photo albums.

What I had forgotten is how young I looked when I had my son, I couldn’t resist taking a picture to show my friends. The picture also reminded me how overwhelmed I felt when my baby boy and I came home from the hospital. Don’t get me wrong, my hubby was absolutely wonderful, he was amazing with the diaper changing, the bath time and getting up in the middle of the night to get our baby boy so that I can feed him, I was still having a hard time walking after the birth. However, when my parents brought us home, the three of us, I was looking for any reason to keep them with us, the thought of having our baby and me being responsible for him was scary. Which is why I said that my hubby was amazing, he more than helped me with the physical part, he helped me with the emotional part as well. I did get over it and as any mother will attest, I feel head over heels in love with our baby boy, we were together all the time, he was attached to me for the first year of his life and I loved it. I went back to work for the second year and he went to day school, an excellent day school, but I missed him so much.

This picture was taken at my mother-in-law’s house around Christmas time of 1991, so that makes him 8 weeks old in the picture and I was all of 24. I think that I look like a baby having a baby, and I don’t think that I am too far off from the characterization. If memory serves me correctly, it almost felt like playing house for the first few months, my hubby and I had just celebrated our first year anniversary so all this marriage and baby business was brand spanking new to me.

This year in November, my hubby and I will be celebrating 23 years of marriage and at the end of October the baby boy will be celebrating his 22nd birthday, time has gone by so quickly, it astounds the mind sometimes.