Productivity

#AccountaClub Friday, September 7, 2018

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accountaclub-woodIt’s that time again, AccountAbles! Here we are, another Friday, another week in bizarro universe down. Very down.

Extremely down.

But that’s not why we’re here. Today’s the day we talk about how our weeks have gone, and what kind of forward progress we’ve made on our stuff.

I’ve done some editing, but not as much as last week. The weather’s been very gloomy and rainy, and often when it does this it messes with my head, triggering a headache. And when I have headaches, I have problems with words, so not the ideal time for editing.

But some editing. So that’s something.

And the exercise continues! Five days this week, three of them live, even though doing them live wasn’t actually a goal. I was just up and ready, so why not?

So that’s all I have to report this week, nothing earth-shaking, nothing enormous, just one foot in front of the other, even though there were many wobbles.

How about you? How are you doing?

Like my political side? Read my opinion pieces here.

Check out  my full-length novels: 

Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   

Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 

 Her Cousin Much Removed

 The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Peruse Montraps Publishing.

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Back to school time, minus the school

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Photo by Porapak Apichodilok on Pexels.com

As I drove up Lake Shore Drive yesterday, toward the top of the Drive where it ends, I looked over to the packed beaches on their final official weekend, and it felt like five minutes ago they officially opened. Summer is a blip.

Don’t get me wrong, we still have summer temperatures, but I’m thinking of sweaters and cute boots, and then cute boots giving way to real boots that have to stand up to a frozen slush I swear no other city makes just the same way. The school supplies are picked over, shiny backpacks nearly as big as their new owners on their way to fulfill their destiny.

Back to school time.

I’m not going back to school, but still the force of it lingers, it grabs us all, students, parents of students, or completely student un-adjacent. Time to buckle down. Time to get serious. Time for new things, new challenges.

Spring is an undeniable start, a clear beginning with new life bursting forth everywhere. But Fall is its own kind of start. An introspective one.

The New Year isn’t the only time we can begin again or choose a new mountain to climb. Pick your peak.

Like my political side? Read my opinion pieces here.

Check out  my full-length novels: 

Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   

Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 

 Her Cousin Much Removed

 The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Peruse Montraps Publishing.

 

AccountaClub Friday, August 31, 2018

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accountaclub-woodCan’t believe it’s the end of August already. This year is flying by, and yet it isn’t. Time is weird, but that’s not why we’re here today.

Please come steep in the irony with me that I didn’t feel like doing my #AccountaClub post today. I didn’t even want to be accountable for talking about being accountable.

At least I’m honest.

This week, I’ve actually made progress with the manuscript I’m editing, I’ve edited every single day. I haven’t been writing, aside from the blog posts, so the editing and writing at the same time is a balancing act I’ve yet to master.

If anyone has any tricks, let me know.

I’m still going strong with the Daily Burn, though. I love it as much as when I started, and I’ve tried to do it live all week. I was a little bit late one morning, so I had to wait for the live broadcast to end to do the workout, but I did it.

So that’s five days, five workouts! I love the live aspect of it, the people in the studio sweating just like I am, sometimes missing a beat, sometimes on the wrong foot. It’s real, and it’s an energizing way to start the day.

I’ve shifted my yoga to later in the day, and now that it has no responsibility for being a source of exercise, that’s made it even better. So physically, it’s all going well.

And that’s my week. How was yours, AccounAbles?

Like my political side? Read my opinion pieces here.

Check out  my full-length novels: 

Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   

Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 

 Her Cousin Much Removed

 The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Peruse Montraps Publishing.

Running late.

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Oh boy am I behind today. I missed the live workout, so I had to wait until it finished the broadcast to do it, and I feel like that threw me off. And the thing is I was awake in time to do the live one, but I just didn’t yet want to get out of bed.

What can I say, it’s gray and it’s rainy and it’s awfully cozy out. Well, not out, in, really, because of outside.

And I just got a spam call, which completely broke my train of thought. I don’t understand them, even if you call me three times in a day, I’m not going to answer the phone. Of course they’re worse now than ever, since there’s no way this regime is going to enforce the Do Not Call registry.

They’re so irritating.

They must work on someone, though, or they wouldn’t keep doing it.

So today’s a day to push goals forward, just maybe not in the time-frame I’d like or at the time I’d like. Maybe take smaller steps. Maybe take slower steps.

That’s OK too.

Eventually we’ll reach the end, just the same.

Like my political side? Read my opinion pieces here.

Check out  my full-length novels: 

Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   

Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 

 Her Cousin Much Removed

 The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Peruse Montraps Publishing.

 

I don’t wanna.

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Do you have that little voice in your head, too? The one who, when faced with a task, even a not-unpleasant task, says, “I don’t wanna?”

My I don’t wanna is throwing a huge tantrum today. Huge.

I woke up very groggy, but still managed to do my Daily Burn 365 live workout. I wasn’t sure I could, I felt heavy and like my limbs were still in bed, but all of a sudden I was doing it then sweatily all of a sudden later I was done.

But as I stood there waiting to get started, that voice greeted me. I don’t wanna.

And I shut that brat down.

One of the things I’ve gotten from yoga–and by now, you know I’ve gotten a lot–is that our thoughts are just thoughts. We can think they’re reality, but they aren’t, necessarily.

(As an aside, if you’re curious, this comes from Bernie Clark and his yin yoga classes. I don’t think it’s this practice specifically, but here’s a free beginner yin class to try.)

So that voice can say I don’t wanna. It can scream it, it can pound its tiny little fists, it can stomp its internal voice feet.

But we don’t have to listen. We can acknowledge it and do it anyway. There are so many obstacles in life, we don’t have to be our own.

Guess what else that voice didn’t wanna do?

This post.

And here it is. You show that little voice what’s what today.

Like my political side? Read my opinion pieces here.

Check out  my full-length novels: 

Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   

Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 

 Her Cousin Much Removed

 The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Peruse Montraps Publishing.

Monday comes around again.

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See this tiger? It has eyes. EYES OF THE TIGER.  Work with me here, people. Photo by Flickr on Pexels.com

Having a little bit of chocolate with my Monday morning coffee. Because why not? For all we know, some unseen asteroid may be hurtling toward us at this very moment, or a certain orange despot wannabe might try to change the conversation in a big big big way, and that square of chocolate could remain uneaten.

No one wants that.

Basically, I’m eating it for the universe. And because chocolate and coffee are the BFFs that put all other BFFs to shame.

Take that, Monday.

I’m still wearing my workout leggings because they have flowers and stars and they’re ridiculous and I love them, and why not? I haven’t quite settled into the day, though the morning is nearly over, so let’s not even get started on the week.

I think I’ve finally shaken a very persistent migraine, though, so I score that as win.

And here we are.

Still sticking with Daily Burn, which I love. I’ve started doing the live workouts, and it’s a fantastic way to begin the day, an accomplishment right out of the box. This week, they’re talking about setting goals.

Ah goals.

So my goal today is to do some editing. Some messy, tedious, exasperating editing. If I could handle this morning’s workout, 30 minutes alone in a dark alley with my manuscript should be a breeze.

Happy Monday! Have a goal you want to share? Please feel free!

Like my political side? Read my opinion pieces here.

Check out  my full-length novels: 

Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   

Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 

 Her Cousin Much Removed

 The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Peruse Montraps Publishing.

AccountaClub Friday, August 24, 2018

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accountaclub-woodNo beating around the blog today, it was not an effective week for me. There was still a whole bunch of clearing at my parents’ house, immediately followed by a migraine that announced itself with words I didn’t intend to type to appearing on the screen. Like “offense” instead of “defense.”

So if you’ve noticed any language oddities this week, that’s probably why.

“Probably” because sometimes, for me, the oddity is baked right in.

I’m sure the crazy amount of news this week didn’t help, with convictions, guilty pleas, and so many people granted immunity. The brain can only hold so much.

Or mine, at least, can only hold so much.

So that’s me. I’m hoping for better next week, and trying to take things where they are.

Physically, though, it’s been great. I’m completely into Daily Burn; I even ditched the Amazon channel, which didn’t update regularly and skipped an entire week of workouts, and signed up directly with Daily Burn. It costs a little more but the opportunity to do the live workout in the morning makes it worthwhile. I highly recommend it, it’s a really fun program, it changes every single day, and it’s only 30 minutes of work.

How was your week?

Like my political side? Read my opinion pieces here.

Check out  my full-length novels: 

Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   

Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 

 Her Cousin Much Removed

 The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Peruse Montraps Publishing.

 

Manic Monday

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Did you know Prince wrote that song (“Manic Monday”), famously performed by The Bangles? Such an amazing talent, and such a sad loss. Not sure why I have Prince on the brain today, but there he is.

It’s been a packed several days as I continue to help clear stuff from my parents’ house, an archaeological adventure in many ways. It’s amazing the amount of space you gain when you clear out the junk. I think I’m going to try it here, to sort through the accumulations you just don’t notice and you stop seeing.

I think that’s true for us, too, on the inside. We could have so much more room if we cleared out the junk, if we dug through the layers and got to the messy, dusty bits wedged in the corners. Yoga, I find, helps with that; clearing bit by bit, making more space to breathe.

Which is a little ironic, given how much the dust makes me sneeze. Can’t say for internal dust, though I’d guess it does as well. I mean, it makes sense.

Sorta.

Anyway, I’m off to make space, physical and perhaps metaphorical. Hope you have a good Monday.

Like my political side? Read my opinion pieces here.

Check out  my full-length novels: 

Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   

Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 

 Her Cousin Much Removed

 The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Peruse Montraps Publishing.

AccountaClub Friday, August 17, 2018

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accountaclub-woodWeeeelllll…there were other priorities this week. Pressing life priorities. I had to help my parents clear many decades worth of stuff out of their house, which took up all of the weekend and most of the week, and yesterday I had an allergy attack thanks to the dust.

Not sure if anyone’s ever died from dust, but I could be a pioneer.

I had the whole deal, the streaming eyes, clogged nose. I’m still pretty sneezy today, in fact just talking about it I think just loaded up the old sneeze factory, I’ve sneezed twice writing this sentence.

Time for some more Sudafed, though not the kind you have to ask the pharmacist for and prove you’re not a meth lab. Hopefully that will help.

Not a stellar week for writing. Definitely a stellar week for finding stuff I didn’t know still existed, like some old dolls and some book favorites.

So AccountAbles, how about you? Did you kill it this week? Did it feel more like this week is killing you?

Like my political side? Read my opinion pieces here.

Check out  my full-length novels: 

Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   

Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 

 Her Cousin Much Removed

 The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Peruse Montraps Publishing.

Wednesday’s giving me the stink eye.

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Photo by Kelvin Valerio on Pexels.com

I’m having technical difficulties today. And I don’t just mean the electronic type; I managed to get toothpaste in my hair while brushing my teeth this morning.

Toothpaste. In my hair.

I also lost my coffee cup, which was patiently waiting in the microwave where I warmed the milk before I made the coffee. I don’t know about you, but I think I’m in for a long, long day.

It’s gray outside, though I don’t think there’s rain ahead. It’s gloomy for no reason but the gloom.

Fitting.

Writing, for this week, is a pipe dream, there’s too much to do in the physical world. Too much that needs clearing. And now’s the time.

So I’m going to pack up my troubles, though I’ll probably just take them with me rather than leaving them behind because that’s how one of those days tends to go. Hopefully there will be less hair-toothpaste and missing coffee and more shifting into higher gear.

I’m going to need it.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, all.

Like my political side? Read my opinion pieces here.

Check out  my full-length novels: 

Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only)   

Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) 

 Her Cousin Much Removed

 The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management.

And download Better Living Through GRAVY and Other Oddities, it’s free!

Peruse Montraps Publishing.