Final Wrap Up of Round 2

Feeling a bit different today. I want to be a bit succinct today. I finally hit a good rhythm and since this is the last check-in for Round 2, I want to finish on a high note.

I might not have started in the fullest swing, and I certainly had moment where I was less productive, but I have gotten much out of this Round. I know what I will do for Round 3.

So, what I have learned about myself in this Round. That I work better when I have plenty to do, and that also keeps me from getting falling into myself when I have bad days. I also know what I need to do and how to get it done. I am to write, to edit, to blog, to submit. That is the way!

I feel really good today and it's still early and I am looking at getting a few other things done, while I have this burst of energy. With that being said, let break out the bullet points!

The Good Stuff  and the Not-as-good Stuff (for the end of the Round):
*Wrote a short blog on Monday. After watching several episodes of "Star Trek: The Animated Series" (see previous blog). Goal: Going to blog on Friday or Saturday this week.

*Been pushing to finish "Mockingjay". I am liking it very much. It's different, but I'm enjoying it. Goal: Re-read "Sabriel" by Garth Nix, the first in "The Abhorsen Trilogy".

*Continue to journal and use the various writing prompts to expand my writing, if not every day, at least every few days. Goal: to write at least every other day.

*Continue to find journals and writing contests to submit to. Report on progress as need.

*Still at 4, maybe 5. Nope, it's five,! I was reading a blog that I have been subscribed to for the last month or so (I didn't realized I had. Is nice, I have some new books to add to the list now). Goal: I will continue to visit, read, and interact with my fellow writers and bloggers.

*I have some Beta readers, reading some works. I will use them to improve my work that is currently complete, so that it can be submitted. Thus, helping to free up time to edit the writings and to write more stuffs.


*Find excuses to go out and experience life in nature (by walking, hiking, gardening). Hang with friends, go to show, be in shows, and general happy about life. There are too many things in life to make one sad and frustrated. Find the good. Spread the love. Make great art! Impact the work. This is a goal not only for AROW80, but life in general.

Funny side note (not funny Ha-Ha, but funny Uh-Oh), I work for a company that does construction materials testing, and after having been there over 2 years, I understand that the aggregate (dirt) placed under roads, before the asphalt is placed, if that starts sliding down a slope, then the road could also fall too. Case in point, there is a stretch of road that this has been happening to and while it's my preferred route to work, because of the scenic quality, there will be issues if something isn't done soon.

Improv is great therapy. I have a great cast of improv-ers. We are having thew best season ever; three shows down, two to go. Making some great connections and making a lot of people laugh. Thank you LCP Improv (Mike T, David, Amanda, Melissa (Neuf), Brian, Todd (Capt. Random), Adriane, Deannda, and Tara! If you are local come and visit us July 29th and August 26th, 7:00 pm at the United Methodist Church of Montour Falls in Montour Falls (visit The Lake Country Players for more info).

Dear Readers, have a great rest of the week, I will be around doing stuff. Remember to check out the AROW80 Blog Hop too! It's great karma!!

Plotting and Planning my #AROW80 Plans!

Somewhere between the weekend and now my brain turned into a raving ball of mush. I came home from work and nothing. I have a strong desire to curl up and watch Buffy or Firefly...

At Point Gratiot (Dunkirk, NY) with David

It's probably due to the intense cloud cover over Corning for the last couple of days. After some much needed rain on Sunday and Monday, we were welcomed to the all grey cloudage spectacular. There has been a bits of sunshine, but only in very small spurts, thus leaving the whole of the day a grey mess. I thrive on having sunshine to walk and be in. Give me a fantastic thunderstorm any day, but I need me my sunshine. And if this trend is going to continue, I may go bonkers. I tend to go a little stir crazy after a stretch of grey and cloudy/rainy weather.

Anyway, I am sitting here writing this blog to some Hugh Laurie blues, not because I am feeling the Blues, but because the grey and gloomy skies have turned my brain to mush, as I stated before. My brain is mush!

On to what I have accomplished this week (thus far):
*Finished "Catching Fire" and started "Mockingjay". I am definitely going to watch the first movie and do a review sometime this month. The series really does intrigue me. I didn't see it going quite in the direct it appears to be going.  I am still liking it, but we will see how I fare at book's end. Note: I have a small collection of Doctor Who books that I have been trying to read, so an extra goal for this month at least is to work on reading these books.

*I have submitted to one online journal per day since Sunday. This is in keep with my plans to submit submit submit!! I want to ideally submit more than one a day, but since some days I don't get home until 10 at night, 1 a day is reasonable. Trying to submit more than just poetry. I have poems, stories, and 1 acts, so no loss of material to pull from. I am even documenting what journal I submit to, when, and what works. Organized, eh? Somewhat! :-)

*Working on my duties as Producer for KLP's "Tarzan": selling ads for the program (sponsors), collecting paperwork and monies, and doing a lot of  other miscellaneous duties. Practicing improv with the Lake Country Improv and being on the board of The Lake Country Players (different from Keuka Lake Players, but also an active memember of both). Lots of Theatre stuffs this summer! Can't keep a theatre geek down for long!

*Been keeping a pace with the housework lately. Feels good, am hoping I can keep it up, especially when I act in the next show I go out for (not sure when that will be). House has been generally clean and mostly presentable. Now to have more people over and maybe barbeque and play terrible badminton or volleyball this summer. 

*Been working on the porch garden and cleaning up the yard and even started walking again. I am hoping to use weekend time to really get out and go for longer hikes and trips to outside places, weather permitting. The good news is the tomato plants are producing flowers and I think I see a cucumber started. w00t! Fresh veggies!!

*Visited 6 blogs this week so far, going to go for 10, at least. It's not only good karma, but I have discovered new ways of doing things, new ideas, like the Sticker Reward Book. If you wanna see what I am talking about, check out the Blog Hop filled with fellow bloggers and writers.

Things I haven't work on this week:
*I have not written since the weekend. With Tarzan rehearsals, Monday and Tuesday (and Thursdays), it leaves very little writing time. I do have a solution, but it involves me waking up right at 6:30 and writing for about an hour on those days. I need to, but my bed is far to comfortable lately. Going to change that. I have managed to write regular blogs on Saturdays, so it is possible to write, even in the mornings. And actually, I remember writing in the mornings during NaNo last year and the mornings were very fruitful then. Can be again!!

*Need to pull out the WIP stories and work on them. I need to see if they are feasible stories to work with.

*Time to get to editing "Tale of Memories" again. I need to step up and just do it. I don't know why I am afraid or worried about revising the story. But, I guess I am a bit intimidated by the editing process. Any tips, Dear Readers?

Expect a regular blog on Saturday. I am still working out what I would like to blog about, since beginning AROW80, I have blogged less as a whole. I have missed it. There are a few ideas poking around my head. I will find my list (that I stashed somewhere) and start creating some new content for you, Dear Readers? If you have an idea, or a question, or something you would like me to explode please leave me a comment below. I love to hear from my readers. Have a stellar week! I know I will (and will be better once the sun comes back).

Rainy Evening, Finally!

It's raining, finally. It's was getting a bit parched out there in the Twin Tiers. My poor yard which only three week ago was shaggier than the shaggy dog, now looks like practically a desert. I just spread new grass seed on part of my lawn that are patchy looking and have a small porch garden, tomatoes and cucumbers. w00t!

Onto the weekend, it's been an impressive weekend of work and play. And while I am working on the stuff that I was supposed to have done this morning , now [at 7:30 pm], I got to be outside and hanging with the Love girls [Sara, Wendy, and Daphne]. We played on the playground and ate lunch at Friendly's, tried to watch "How to Train Your Dragon" (lost out to kitties and ponies), and have yummy home made ice-cream at Dippety Do-Dahs!

What I did this weekend (or didn't quite get to):
*Finished "Catching Fire". Will be starting "Mockingjay" this week. Was going to start another Doctor Who novella/novel "Winner Take All", but haven't. I know when I get started with "Mockingjay" I probably won't wanna stop reading it (from reliable sources). I am 3 books behind on my Goodreads Reading Challenge. Must change that! Note: I foresee some reviews of the books and the movies in the near future.

*Blogged yesterday, continuing my weekly non-ROW80 blog posting on Saturdays. I was what I was aiming for, but I also managed to complete another goal doing it this way.  Using the blog post as a launch point for a Flash Fiction that I wrote that night was a nice choice, if not the first choice. My brain wasn't focusing and I have a list of blogging ideas that is currently buried somewhere on, in, or around my desk. Sometimes I just want to share my writing. I might never do much with the story, but I still want my followers and fellow writers to be able to read what I have been up to. When I find my blog idea list expect more diverse articles and maybe an interview or two. I miss doing those.

*I wrote yesterday. I pull a writing prompt from my favourite literary journal and my first to visit, Toasted Cheese. Thanks Allison(check out her blog)! And I wrote. I just wrote and felt liberated in my writing. Such a great feeling. I have written a couple of Flash Fiction in the last week, "Mall Dreams" could possibly be a longer story, "Snow in June" is  random little thing, and "A Moment at Sea" (roughly titled) fell into this new category. It's a concept I have only recently been introduced to, but I like it. Short and simply, and really hard when you want to expand the details and go down tangents. 300 to 1000 words a good challenge for myself. I am going to continue to explore this.

*Visited 5  blogs yesterday and left comments. Striving for 10 this week.

*Today I have submitted some poetry to 1 site. Not what I was hoping for this week, but it's a start. That makes the total submission sites to 3. Would like to submit to 1 online journal each day this week. That's the plan anyway.

I think this rain is a good cleansing of my soul and starting the week off on a positive note. I always feel clearer and revitelized during and after a rain storm, especially a thunderstorm. I remember staying up late one night, late spring or early summer with my mom, talking, because it was lightening (not really raining) and really humid. It was a heat lightneing storm, I think. But there is something electric about rain and thunderstorms. Do you, Dear Readers like to sit and watch rain/thunderstorms? Favourite part of a storm? Or do you prefer to stay in and leave the rain, thunder , and/or lightening to itself? Leave me some love below!

It is a Blog Hop, go and check out the other ROW80-ers. They are good people! Check out my Twitter: draconicwitch and my Facebook Page: Here, There be a Writer.

Tonight's song, because I am in a Paul Simon mood.