Writer in absentia

With all the fine fall weather we've been enjoying it's been way too hard to park my butt at the computer and try to bang out something on the keyboard, especially since autumn is my most favorite time of the year. Call me a slacker, but a brisk walk (kid-free!) on a sunny September morning is wayyyy more appealing! I've taken three of late (completely self-indulgent).

It hasn't been a complete waste of valuable work time though. I find walking time is great for bouncing ideas around in my head. I've mulled over the angle of a piece I want to propose to a veterans' magazine, put it aside and focused on a cultural idea, and am now planning a kids' sports article while also plotting a short (?) story. Even if none of this is actually on paper (or my hard drive) it still counts. Kind of. Doesn't it?!

A little good news is hard to find

Since my last couple of posts have been about writing I wanted to do something off topic today. I started thinking about current events trying to find something to blog about. Not a lot of good news out there. We've got the mudfest that is the election south of the border and the snooze-fest of an election that is going on here at home (I could write a page about the insanity that is the Sarah Palin phenomenon and lead that the Conservatives hold here in the poles, but my husband will think I've developed an obsession). Ike is too tragic. The economic chaos is troubling. Yep, good news is hard to find. So I'll give you some of my own ...

My youngest daughter's brain MRI was negative.
My washing machine repair will be partially covered by the warranty.
The wheeze/squeak in my chest is almost gone. The cough is completely gone (until my kids bring the next virus du jour home).
I've lost 10 lbs and am now a size 4 again (no, I'm not one of those skinny bitches obsessed with my weight - I'm petite and believe me those extra few pounds do make a difference!)
Root and Sprout will be featuring another one of my articles in the next edition.

Nothing super major (except the MRI) or earth shattering. But the most important place to find the positives and celebrate the good things is right here at home.

I'm back!

Ok, forget yesterday's suckfest. Bad day. Today I refocused (thanks BPV for making me ask how much I want it), put the polish on a little article that I've had sitting on my desktop for a month and submitted it. I also started some notes for a few other ideas I've been kicking around. Tomorrow I will be digging in the basement for the research I did months ago on a particular topic (just haven't unpacked it since our move in April). It feels good to be motivated again!

Guilt and the aspiring writer ...

Here's my dilemma. I want to write. I've always been told I'd good at it. I've taken some courses along the way. I'd like to try to develop my skills and give it a try.

On the other hand. I'm a stay-at-home mom. I feel that my family and home should be my first priority. This makes it extremely easy at any given time to find fifty different things that I could/should be doing instead of working at my computer. I do try to sit and write, but I feel that since I'm not a "professional writer" bringing in some income that in others' eyes I'm just blowing off time at the keyboard (I have a paranoia that when my kids are older they will have this image of me as simply being some sort of computer/internet addict and that they won't understand what I really was/am trying to do). That's where the guilt enters and I find myself pushing away from the desk and tackling another task.

I know I should designate a certain time of the day as my time and use this only to focus on my writing. Unfortunately, 9 - 11 pm is not what I would consider my optimal work time. I'm either too tired or run the risk of getting on a roll and staying up way past my bed time (a bad habit to get into when my oldest gets up between 6:30 & 7:00 each morning).

I had hoped that I could write during the hours that my youngest is at nursery school, but I find myself filling that time with other things ... working out, running errands, appointments ... things that are also much easier to tackle when I'm flying solo.

sigh ... feeling crappy about my aspirations today

September - Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

Ok, ladies (and concerned gentlemen) here is your public service announcement for the month. I will risk sounding like a broken record here (I know I've posted about this before) but it's a message that bears repeating.

As many you you know I lost my mother a year and a half ago to ovarian cancer. My sister has tested positive for BRCA2, one of the gene mutations related to breast & ovarian cancers (thanks merely to a roll of the dice I am, and therefore my biological daughter is also, BRCA2 negative).

This disease is the fifth leading cause of death amongst women and the most deadly form of cancer a woman can develop. It is extremely hard to detect. Often the symptoms are vague and mimic other illnesses. Doctors frequently miss the signs. Early diagnosis, and therefore education is crucial in beating this disease.

Here are some warning signs:

Abdominal bloating or discomfort
Changes in bowel function
Unexplained weight gain and a distended abdomen from fluid build-up
Nausea
Infertility or changes in menstruation patterns

If these symptoms persist for three weeks or longer you should see your health practitioner immediately.

For more information:

Ovarian Cancer Canada

Ovarian Cancer National Alliance