Turning yet another leaf ...poor tree

What will it take to finish this little novel? One word at a time, one sentence. To show up for 10 mins here, 30 mins there, maybe an hour every so often. Such a little thing.

I updated WriteTrack so that I could have 500 words per day (actually 496). I would finish in the middle of February. Not so bad really.

No worries about content or perfection just get to the end. Revision (and judgement) can only happen once I have a full perspective of the story.

Due to the late hour, I shall start tomorrow. I plan to show up during my lunch break- I might even get all 500 words in that time.

(And just a bit of dream thrown in here, but if my work ever did hire me, I would get an hour lunch...)

See you tomorrow night with my results.

I'm back

It so didn't happen Saturday. And then Sunday and Monday I was pretty sick and miserable.

But I'm back tonight and determined to finish the scene list. Anything I can't finish by the end of the month (meaning by Weds night), I'll just have to skip for the now. The characters will have to tell me when we get to that scene. I'm set to have a good December!!

Going to show up today!!

Ok, so here I am at work and I'd really like to make some progress with my scene list today.

Going to grab some tea and I'll be back to update with every little step...

Stuck-lette

It's not going well so far.

I am paralyzed that the scene list needs to be perfect and interesting and in the right direction. But I don't know what the correct direction is so I don't make any decisions at all. Paralysis is not a productive use of time.

I need to brainstorm for awhile.

I don't need to produce anything. I just need to sit here doing nothing until 8pm (maybe it was 8:30). Sometimes in utter boredom, my muse starts to cooperate.

I'm not interested in any of the last scenes. Why is that?

Nobody's actions/motives make sense. It's all a murky haze.

So throw out what I thought was supposed to happen and just write out what happens to get me to the end, at a very, very high level.

Right now, writing is reminding me alot of evolutionary theory: throw enough millenia [notecards] at the enhancement [story] and it becomes plausible.

Got one new scene which showed that I need at least 8 more scenes (about 2 chapters). Not sure what happens in them, I just know they are there.

Back To It

Can't believe it's Friday already- Thanksgiving week came and swallowed me whole.

Summary of my not-writing:

• Tues- worked until 8pm, crashed in front of the evil box
• Weds- normal day, crashed in front of the evil box
• Thurs- got up early to make the pies, day at the SILs with hubby's family. Home by 8pm. Crashed in bed. Slept until 7am (oops, what happened to the alarm clock?)

Made it to work on time today (no day off for me). I really wanted to work on the remaining scene list but I couldn't focus at work. But I'm here tonight. It's 6:30 so I'll set the timer for a couple hours.

Everything that's left are biggie, black holes. If I can even get a few that will be a major victory. Plus I've already figured out that there are many in-between scenes that are missing (like the whole process of getting to the final scene with the villain, and which character is actually my book 1 villain). Yah, minor things like that. :D

Here goes, time to find my focus, get into my character's head and dive into the scene list.

Finishing up tonight's work

Ok, last post was getting too long. I need a fresh place to compose my thoughts.

I have about 9 scenes left to note-card. UPDATE: Cheating but two other scenes were easily combined. ...8 scenes left to note-card.

I really need to finish the book this year. It's been so many years.

Good news is I am a lot further than this morning.

How hard is it to note-card this scene- pick up the phone and call people. Why is this so difficult to write? ...Ugh, it's not difficult to write- it's BORING. I don't want to include boring scenes. What happens that's actually INTERESTING???

Looks like this is a task for tomorrow.

I made up notes for the 8 scenes that are left. Need to figure out the twist/conflict/interesting thing about each one.

There is NO reason to be overwhelmed. Just deal with this one scene at a time.

One scene at a time, one scene at a time...

Feeling stuck so I must come on here and re-center.

A.) Completed the epilogue cards. 2 scenes, should be nice. Going for a quiet, introspective feeling.

B.) Added a 3rd epilogue card that closes out my 2 MCs storylines.

C.) Completed the big confrontation at the end between MCs and monster.

D.) Setup my clandestine meeting between the 2 MCs.

E.) Got my DUH going and combined 2 scene cards into one [HELLO/THE STORY IS LONG ENOUGH ALREADY!!]. Scene is now note-carded.

F.) Note-carded the scene where my 2 MCs continue to diverge on separate paths. 7 scenes done.

Stuck again. There is NO conflict in this scene. Unless I add in yet another whispered meeting??

How much clandestine stuff is too much? Although it needs to trigger this other scene...

OK, moving on, maybe something will come to me. Leaving it in To Do status

Currently I have 10 scenes setup in Scrivener which need to be note-carded. Not sure how many more are needed to fill gaping holes.

G.) Finished the intro scene between my MC and the mega-antagonist. 8 scenes note-carded.

H.) Combined two scene cards. 8 to go. (at least it's only 3pm)

Taking a break for cooking... blah... blah... blah...

[Interlude: I should not be stuck. The point of playing in note cards is that nothing matters. It's maybe 50-100 words each of scene overview info. I can always redo the 8 remaining cards over and over until the flow feels right.]

I'm back. 4:23. Takes forever to cook and dishes. And hubby wants to watch movie- not sure what kind of time I have left.

Yup, I'm fried. Hopefully I can write up the remaining scene list tomorrow- it's primarily two subplots now.

Note Cards to the end- Due Dec 1st

I had lots of fun yesterday- downloaded the trial version of Scrivener for Windows.

Yesterday I had time to create note cards for the scenes I know about (starting with the last scene which is started but blocked). The stuff that's already written is just going to be in the back of my mind instead of cluttering up the app.

Today I need to start working on each card to figure out the conflict and outcome and next step. I'm using The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing (it's similar to Holly Lisle's sentence lites but I like that I don't have to worry about putting it into a 30 word sentence). I just have to figure out each piece.

Now I've tried this before and been overwhelmed. I'm hoping things go better this time. My due date for this is Dec 1st.

Also I am starting from the end of the story and working backwards. I know how the story ends. Maybe if I move backwards I can figure out how MC gets there from where she is now.

Step 1- Rough draft. Due Jan 1st

Write the story in rough draft/skeletal format. Keep going until I reach the end. Due Jan 1st

Breaking this out:
30 scene cards
Write out each scene- ROUGH draft

Path to Freedom- take two

When I was trying to create my own "Path to Freedom", I got overwhelmed and dropped it. Time to come back to it.

I am inspired to just finish the story already. (I am no longer working on the new one).
The story is at 87000 words (around). I think it will take at least 30 more scenes (~1500 words/scene) to finish this up. 45,000 words + 87000 = 132,000 words [!!] My inner editor needs to go on a vacation until I reach The End (it is what it is). There's no reason to worry about how the story is too long. It doesn't matter right now, I am in first draft.

I finally have a scene next that fits. Have no idea what interesting thing will happen during it but at least Muse and I are curious about it.

Path to Freedom:
* Write the story in rough draft/skeletal format. Keep going until I reach the end. - Due Jan 1st
* Brainstorm book 2/scene list
* Write book 2 in rough draft
* Brainstorm book 3/scene list
* Write book 3 in rough draft
* Revise book 1
* Revise book 2
* Revise book 3
* Critique book 1 (send it out for outsider opinion)
* Critique book 2
* Critique book 3
* Send out cover letter and partials, etc. (or self-pub)

Path to Freedom

Copying my title from Holly Lisle :)

Story Completion Goals:

1. Back
2. Complete: 2YN- Pt 1 : through Worldbuilding Part 12 (Week 25)
3. Complete: HTTS
4. Complete: HL's Clinics

Misc Goals:

1. Sign-up for HTWAS
2. Download all lessons to safe place with server and CD backups

too much veges

Well, I will just about bust.

I got a perfect score for Friday. Have no idea how I will possibly consume that many veges tomorrow. (I skipped the multivitamin which made it sort of a challenge to get the right levels of all the nutrients).

This is for Friday...
Carbohydrates 216 g Good
Protein 76 g Good
Fats 33 g Good
Saturated Fat 8.4 g Good
Cholesterol 104 mg Good
Sodium 2,288 mg Good
Fiber 31 g Good
Vitamin A 24,667+ IU Good
Vitamin C 558 mg Good
Calcium 1,517 mg Good
Iron 19.9 mg Good
Potassium 5,370 mg Good

WII Fit Stats- Fri

Weight: 136.5 (-1.8lb)
Running: 3.031mi|30mins|Program 2|162 cals
Yoga: 20 mins
Strength: Plank (for abs) + PushUp/SidePlank (for arms)
Total: 53 mins|214 cals

Feedback: I actually did this in the morning but I was having trouble with my internet connection. It was really hard to get up this morning. I'm going to bed on time [well, ok, not until 9:45, which is late, I'm totally lying] but I'm tossing and turning for another hour or so. I cannot shut my brain off. ugh.

Running: lol. Did not want to run this morning when I started. I warmed up a little to it. Being overtired is not helping. I think if I shifted my workouts to the evenings I would be better off but then I really never would work on my project. Yeah, I like my schedule. I just need to get some sleep.

Yoga: same as always. Tree plank: wah. Hopefully in 3 or 4 more weeks I'll finally make some progress with it. That would be really interesting.

Strength: 30 seconds on the plank is killing me now. How in heck was it so easy when I started? The pushups: I think it's okay to do them every day so I thought what the heck, I'll add them to my routine. Right now: I'm really not able to do 1 correctly. It will be interesting to see if my strength progresses.

Ok, time for bed.

No writing again, this has become a very bad precedent for me. part of my sleeping problems last night was thinking about how I was never going to finish the story. And if I ever did, it will sink without the slightest ripple. Ugh.
The other half of my problem is wishing that I could be in shape already. Seriously excited and wishful [and the rest of the time feeling fat and blobby, there I said it]. And it does NOT help at all. None of this mulling helps. Writing is just writing. I'll only be a writer if I show up every night, even for 10 or 30 minutes. Not just when I have 2hrs free.

Plan For The Day- Thurs

Again, everything is cancelled. Hopefully after the Holiday weekend things will settle down. tonight it took an hour to get home. So once I finally made it home-> movie time :)

There is always tomorrow. Although my story is definitely starting to call to me

WII Fit Stats- Thurs

Today I decided to make a rest day.

Weight: 138.2. Yuck!
Yoga
Misc balance games

Feedback: I played a few balance games but not motivated at all. What I really wanted to do was my running. I've decided that I'm pushing myself too hard. I'm going to start taking two rest days a week (this is only the 3rd week I've started this and I don't want to get injured). So I will take rest day either Weds or Thurs and then either Sat or Sun. I think I'll take my second rest day on Sunday this week.

Definitely the competitive thing is helping. I feel so motivated not to miss a day. I'm relieved about "wanting" to run. This is a great thing for me.

Yoga: same feedback as always. Tree Pose: I'm trying to just hold my left leg up so that the muscles are getting stretched. Hopefully I'll be able to get this pose working for me again but without pressing against my right knee.

For all its faults, Wii Fit Plus is really working out for me so far.

And about the weight: Obviously I have to start looking at how much I'm eating. It's got to be portion control. I'm not eating any deserts or obvious things like that.

Don't have time right now but I'll probably have to post a diet plan soon.

Plan For The Day- Weds

Everything is cancelled/rescheduled.
Actually looks like it was supposed to be a cooking day anyway and we have plenty of food around the house.

I chose fitness over my writing today. :(

Hopefully I can get more rest tonight (I've been having trouble shutting my brain off at night) and get up on time tomorrow.

WII Fit Stats- Weds

Skipped my morning workout (slept in) and worked out this evening instead.

Weight: 138.9
Strength training
Run: 2.598|20mins|No resistance|110cals|2**
Cool down run: 4 mins
Yoga
Total: 1hr 2mins. 229 calories


Feedback:
Weight: Some of it is weighing myself at the end of day but still disappointing
Strength: I'm still skeptical that it's doing much but I love the abs ones and the push ups are very challenging. Triceps- I did 20 reps with 3lbs. Too much. I'm going to take that down to 10 reps with 3lbs and see how that goes. For some reason the plank was very challenging today. Therefore I've decided to do 30 seconds on my running days, 60 seconds on my strength day-just to give myself a chance to build up my abs a little.
Running: Woot. I really wanted first place back and also to break 2 and 1/2 miles. Success. Of course then my husband had to come along and snag it back from me. Drat. His new distance: 2.602. Still within reach. He did that running Program 1 though [!]. I did 0 resistance. (My program has me just at 0 resistance for 20 mins on the strength days).
Yoga: Sun Salutation was fun today. I felt much more flexible when I touched my toes. I felt I could touch my chest to my legs but now I can't so I wonder if it was just an exhausted delusion. LOL. The tree pose is still breaking my heart: easy standing on my left leg, impossible on my right leg. :(

Plan For The Day- Tues

Schedule for today:
Fitness: DONE
Project time: CANCELLED. Just too tired to think about it. Headed to bed.

BONUS:
Ironing: POSTPONED
Laundry (fold and put away): POSTPONED
Office (Org and Dust): POSTPONED

I got stuck at work today until way too late (8:15pm). I'm going to fit in some brainstorming today and reschedule my other chores for tomorrow.

WII Fit Stats- Tues

Weight: ~137lbs
Running: 3.233mi|30mins|160cals. (@20|2.097miles)
Yoga: 20mins.
Plank: 90 secs (30+60)

Feedback:
Weight: I have mis-weighed my workout clothes. Probably around 137.

Running: There was one already in there, high score. 4.406miles in 30mins. [!!] Done by the Gabby Mii. [??] When the heck did I do that? It must have been someone else. Although that would be amazing

Yoga: Going really easy on the tree pose on the right knee. Hopefully I will get better at it anyway cause I don't want to give that one up. :)

Plank: The Wii is really stupid. I spent all that time unlocking advanced strength so I could create a routine and save myself time. It doesn't check that: it gives you level 1 only. Therefore the plank was 30seconds... I did it again in the regular strength section for 60 seconds and unlocked 90 seconds. Really not ready for that yet but it's there when I need it :) So anyway looks like I'll have to come out of the My Routine to do the Plank exercise. And, I won't be able to setup a strength routine since it would only let me do the basic exercises. Ugh. Didn't any of the testers try to setup a routine??

And time to write- UPDATE

I would like to get in a couple of hours today for brainstorming.

UPDATE: (~6:30)
I didn't want to show up. I think my plan is overwhelming me. there is so much to do.
But I set the timer for 2 hours.

I've worked on my project for an hour and a half. I seem to have finished that section. Tomorrow will be trying to move outward through rest of story to make sure nothing is broken by this latest addition.

Actually I still have quite a bit to figure out in my other world. So it works on one world. Now I have to figure out how it works--but differently--on my other world.

But still considering this giant leap forward for mankind LOL. Anyway, so glad I showed up tonight.

Plan For The Day- Mon

Lest I forget, here is my schedule for today:

Fitness- DONE
[Groceries]- DONE
Make food- DONE
Ironing- POSTPONED
Wash dishes- DONE
Wash counters, sink and kitchen table- DONE
Put away dishes- DONE
Project time- DONE (90 mins)

Bonus Task: (because I am behind)
Laundry (fold and put away)- POSTPONED

Workout plan

I am in love with plans. So here, in a separate post, is my fitness plan:

FITNESS PLAN:
Sun: Alt Day Off A: 30 min run, Yoga, Plank (for abs)
Mon: Strength, 20 min run no resistance (or steps or bicycle option), Yoga
Tues: 30 min run with resistance program, Yoga, Plank (for abs)
Wed: Alt. Day Off B: Strength, 20 min run (or steps or bicycle option), Yoga
Thurs: Alt. Day Off B: 30 min run, Yoga, Plank (for abs)
Fri: Strength, 20 min run (or steps or bicycle option), Yoga
Sat: Alt. Day Off A: Rest day: Yoga, Plank, Balance games

UPDATE: I've decided to have two rest days. Either Sat or Sun for 1st day. Weds or Thurs for the 2nd day.

STRENGTH:
Single leg extension (10)
Push up and side plank (6) Yikes! :)
Torso Twists (6)
Jackknife (10)
Single Leg Twist (20)
Sideways Leg Twist (10) (hasn't allowed me to upgrade yet)
Plank (60 secs) (Love this one. This is like the tree pose in Yoga)
Tricep Extension with 3lb weight (10)

YOGA:
Sun Salutation
Half-Moon
Palm Tree
Triangle
Warrior
Standing Knee
Chair
Tree
Downward Facing Dog
Deep Breathing
Plank (30 secs)

WII Fit Stats- Mon

Weight: 136.2 (+.4lbs)
Workout: 103 minutes today. 232 calories.
Strength training: 8 different items.
Run: 2.343miles in 20 mins (personal best, 2**), 108 cals
Cool down jog: 4mins
Yoga: 20 mins,10 items.
Water: 4 glasses! hah! That's like half my overall daily intake. (I don't count it of course)

Feedback:
Do you see that total workout time? 103 minutes! Woot. I'm starting to get that feeling: "I don't want to stop. I can do this one more time." I love that! It was funny with the yoga though: I was having a lot of trouble not just sort of drifting to the side from being tired. I wanted to do a 30 minute run today but my thighs protested so I stopped and switched down to 20 minutes. I might start doing the 30minute run going forward. Depends on how my legs feel tomorrow.

Weight: 136.2 (+.4lbs) I was surprised by the weight increase. I'm still not going to focus on that right now. but I'd thought I was doing a fairly good job with my eating yesterday. [I know muscle weighs more than fat but I don't think that's it.]

Strength: skipped the lunges- my knees are already unhappy with me. Overall these exercises felt a little too easy. Other than the "Push up and side plank"- holy freakin' crap. What's with the 'no regular push up' option?
Oh and the jackknifes- yikes.
I forgot. My new favorite: the Plank. You just hold yourself up in a push up position (but with your elbows down on the ground too). Works the abs. I LOVE THIS POSE. It is easy but so challenging. I am at 60 seconds.

Run: I went with 20mins at resistance level 1 the whole time. You know, give my legs a break. And then about 7 or 10 minutes into it, something came over me and I started running very hard trying to catch up with the other MIIs. It was lots of fun. I was also wanting to beat my husband's distance (2.467) but nope. Only managed 2.343 (but it was still a personal best). What's with the 2 star rating still? Gah. Although Wii is designed for someone just walking in place. Maybe that's easier. Oh well, I'll earn a 3* someday. :)
How do people run a 7 minute mile? How did I ever run a 7min 40 (or whatever it was) in high school. I'll get there I guess... some day.
Overall- HAH, that was dumb (to race the Miis) but I finally have that feeling I used to get when I'm working out and I don't want to stop. Addiction is the only thing that's going to get me to stick to a workout plan. So I welcome this little bit of craziness: I'm on the right track.
I did do a 4 min cool down run afterward (using the Wii short option). Unfortunately it just gives you percentage effort- 46%. useless information.

Yoga:
I've realized that my beloved tree pose is putting stress on my right knee (when my left foot is holding hard against my leg, trying everything I can to keep myself upright and my foot off the ground). I'll have to keep an eye on that.
I am so grateful I stuck it out with the yoga. It's a wonderful way to stretch after my run. I was exhausted and maybe my poses aren't as good as they could be (if I was rested) but! I am not in pain right now. I don't walk around hunched over and limpy.

Maybe the strength training will be better than I think right now. It's definitely working the abs. It doesn't help of course that I can't do the two knee ones.

And now, on to the good stuff- writing!

It's 4:13 and time to get serious.

I'm here to write.

Very exciting. yesterday I was given a helpful suggestion about my evil creatures. Must incorporate and see if I can finally make some headway.

GOALS FOR TODAY:
~brainstorm for 2 hours: DONE
~figure out the science behind my evil creature's ability: IN PROCESS, will continue tomorrow

New tracking area- The House

I've always wished I was the kind of housekeeper whose home looked immaculate even when company wasn't expected. I've decided to give it a try since the fitness goals are working out so well.

In Outlook, I setup my monthly chores with recurring appointments (for ex: the refrigerator occurs on the first Tuesday of every month,dishes are every day, and washing the laundry is every Friday, and so on).

And the nice thing is I can even get ahead when I have free time.

Here is my list for today:
Fitness(1hour)- DONE
Writing(1hour)- DONE (2hrs)
Wash dishes- DONE
Coffee pot- vinegar cleaning- CANCELLED (the pump is broken :( hopefully hubby can fix it)
Patio- wash table, sweep and declare bug free- DONE
Put away dishes- DONE
Wash counters, sink and tables- DONE
Wash dish drainer- DONE

Bonus list because I'm behind:
Laundry- fold and put away- DONE
Laundry- wash and hang to dry- DONE


Wow, I love my new plan. I keep coming back to stare at it. Must focus- there are things to be done. :)

WII Fit Stats- Sun- Week 3

Weight: 135.9 (goal in 2 weeks: lose 2 lbs. new weight goal 133.9)
Run: 2.232mi|20mins|107cals|2**|1st place for me|Hubby is in actual first now with 2.467)
Yoga: 10positions|20mins

Feedback: I'm still enjoying controlling the resistance rather than doing a set program. I went up to 5 for about 3 minutes today, with slow ascent/descent from there.
Yoga tree pose: yay. still able to complete on both sides. balance is still pretty weak though.

UPDATE: This afternoon I tried out some of the strength training. I want to add that to my Mon, Wed, and Fri evenings

WII Fit Stats- Fri

Weight: 136.5 (it says I lost .2lbs since yesterday)
Run: 2.189mi|2** 1st place|20 mins|108cals
Yoga: Picked 4 or 5 poses because I was late (although I think my Yoga work out takes about the same amount of time because of SO much lag in between each pose). Oh well. I'll try to get back to it tomorrow.

Feedback: once again could not get out of bed. I'm determined to break that habit of listening to the radio- maybe I'll switch it to that annoying alarm. ugh. Maybe I can track down an alarm clock that talks to me and says "time to get up" or maybe they have ones with comic sayings (although then I'd be tempted to stay and listen to it calling me a lazy ass) lol

So the run: I did my own program. Stayed at 1 for awhile and then said what the hell. Ended up going up to level 4 and I think I stayed there for 3 mins and then went back down. Ended up at level 1 and 2 for the last 5 mins. I kind of liked being able to control it, made it a little more interesting and less "do I have to do this program again?"

Boredom is definitely a killer. I can't figure out why Wii Fit doesn't come out with a running program- why the exact same loop over and over?- at least let us take a different route through the island. (I know I'm supposed to be watching TV but turning the TV on is just a bad thing for me in the long run.)

But the run was okay. I wish I could leap ahead and be in shape already. At work I felt a little better yesterday. I think moving the Yoga to after the run is helping. I think I'll definitely stick with that format.

UPDATE: Yoga! can't believe I forgot to talk about yoga. I can do the tree pose on both legs again. Hurray. I love it. My balance is not great. but yay. My favorite pose and I'm getting there. Yoga overall is definitely getting better. On most poses it calls me a yoga master or trainer which is completely laughable. BUT I think I'm actually approaching (yes, only approaching) a regular person's flexibility level. I have a long ways to go but wow, I'm actually seeing some improvement.

And I've been running for a couple weeks now and when I was coming downstairs, my knees did NOT creak. That's got to be the yoga stretches, but maybe it's just the fact that I'm trying to go slow with this.

This morning in the shower I was thinking about the marathon and about maybe moving up to 30mins but woah, slow down soldier! I need to stay at 20 mins for at least a couple more weeks. Until I'm enjoying the run a little more.

But at work the past couple of days: I've felt better. Maybe someday I'll be able to walk around and up a hill and not get so winded. I remember in college when that happened the first time: I was walking up a hill and it totally winded me. so shocking: i was just walking. I'm slow to get this but maybe the lack of exercise really is why I feel so fatigued all the time. I've been trying to figure out what was going on with me for the past 5 years or so. So exhausted so fatigued. It took more energy than I had to make it through the day. I thought there must be something wrong with me. Now I think my body/mind was just used to all the running I used to do, to that level of fitness. And once I joined the couch potato club (for the past 20 years or so), my mind and body still expected to feel one way, but I was a slouch now. And slouchy potatoes don't have excess energy to go around.

Tomorrow morning I must focus on how much better I'm going to feel after my workout. :)

Goals for today- Thurs

Ha! I seem to be a little afraid to start today. What's the worst that can happen? I come up with absolutely no new stuff or insights. Big deal. It's just an hour out of my life [that I can never get back] :)

Goals for today:
Brainstorm for an hour

Wow, I am actually starting later today than yesterday. Guess I'd better get focused.

Fitness Inspiration

I wanted to post the reason why I started working out again. Somehow, over my weekend off, I kind of forgot all about it.

I can't find the original article but this one is good enough:
74 year old body builder

Her story attacks both my problems:
"It's too late" [uhh, obviously not].
"I can do it later" [hey, if a 74 year old can get off the couch, obviously I can too].

At 6AM in the morning, I .....SOME DAY...
"want to run 3 miles in 20 mins"
"run a marathon"
"complete a triathalon"
.................................just aren't all that inspiring.


"I want my body back": This motivates me.
And she gives me hope/proof that it can happen.

WII Fit Stats- Thurs

Weight: ~136.7
Run: 2.138mi|20mins|2**|no resistance
Yoga: I just picked a few random ones after the run

Feedback: This morning I had motivation but not enough sleep. I just couldn't turn the brain off last night.
I shut off the program and just jogged at level 1 for 20 mins. I am torn between continuing to do that for a couple of weeks just to get my base fitness up a little. But I'm just not tired enough. Hmmm- but if it still helped get the running muscles back...? It must do something?

Got my hour in

I can finally ask the right questions. No answers yet/no magic. It's just this blank, black wall- impenetrable. But at least I am finally at the actual questions, not all the messy, unimportant details that I've been wading through for the past few weeks.

I take the victories I can get.

for example, I was not trying to figure out the ecosystem holes. I am directly trying to figure out the pseudo-science. Hmmm, that's weirdly helpful. I was being too limited this hour. But how to translate that into better questions for next time? I'm not sure I got that part yet.

Back to a writing blog- goals for today?

I miss the old days of posting my writing status.

Status:
~I am in full-on brainstorming mode.
~I have sort of completed one of my planet's ecosystems.
~I am on to figuring out some of the key pseudo-science that all of my characters use in one form or another. And OF COURSE because MY MUSE IS EVIL it relies on all the black holes I had left in the ecosystem that I COMPLETELY did NOT realize were there. I was so pleased that I had finally completed my ecosystem. It was awesome; it was done. I can move on.

*** psych ***

Back to work. But it's all related so my pseudo-science should be almost close to almost done by the time those ecosystems holes are filled in.

Ok, so goals for the day. Here's the problem: it's not like "complete this scene". Or "today I will figure out the black holes." Instead I'm kind of stuck with boring "I will devote 1 hour to brainstorming." And--with all the gabbing that's been going on around here--that's about what I have. It's okay, the gabbing helped. :) I love getting all that previous stuff off my chest.

GOALS FOR TODAY:
1 hour brainstorming

Bucket List

I've been wanting to do this post for awhile. I plan to add to it as life goes on LOL

1. Write/complete a novel
2. Revise it/submit the novel
3. Get published (yes, I am aware this is a bad item as I don't have final say on this. but there it is. my belief is that if I can revise the novel until it's something I would read, then I can also find a publisher. [yes, I would probably snicker too if I was the one reading this item. But I believe it.]
[Can I add these? what the hell.] Win a writing award (nebula, hugo, newberry, I'm not picky). Make the bestseller list. Get a movie deal for one of my stories.
4. Get in shape
5. Complete a marathon
6. Qualify for Boston marathon?
7. Run the Disney marathon (cause: awesome)
8. Complete a full triathalon (obviously Ironman would be coolest but ugh, that would mean I did a triathalon MORE than once and somehow qualified. maybe if 3 happens a lot and I go pro..?)
9. Travel the highlights of Europe (maybe someday when I'm rich I can take a vacation in every country in Europe). Same goes for the other continents too: australia, africa, asia, etc... must see it all.
10. Take a World cruise (sigh. cruise + travel = awesome. although the cruise I went on was so rushed- leave the port by 3 or 4pm. ugh. still sounds great though. my husband would probably go absolutely stir-crazy ape shit. well it's my list, I'm putting it on there. When I'm a rich author, maybe he will come around to thinking luxury and leisure are where it's at...)
11. Cruise of Alaska with land tour.
12. Spend 6 months living in Hawaii (obviously that goes in the column for "if #3 happens frequently").

I can't think of anything else right now.
Oh! Hah!

13. Quit working in a cubicle before I retire. Cubicles are like a death sentence: a slow, miserable, horrid one. Yack!
Soul-sucking: I can't believe I forgot soul-sucking

WII Fit Stats- Weds

Weight:137.6
Yoga: 20 mins/40cals/OK rating
Run: 20mins/1.754/108cals/2 star,calorie burner/unranked
Total: 148cals

Feedback: 3 days off really killed me apparently.
I can't do the tree pose on either leg anymore. so frustrating. have no idea how I went downhill passed where I started [??]. How does that even happen.
Now my left knee is bothering me/my right knee is almost okay. ugh.
No problems getting up this morning for it. But once I was running, it was "why am I doing this again?" I couldn't come up with an answer.
One positive: I asked myself "would I rather be sleeping?" surprisingly no, I just didn't feel like being active yet. And I wouldn't have wanted to work on my project either at that time so I guess I'm just going to have to give it a few more days. Hopefully the motivation will come back again.
I have decided to switch around the yoga workout for tomorrow. Removed some of the harder basic ones. Hopefully that will help my knees.
Wish I had more hours in the day and I could work on my project all morning and then exercise as a break in the afternoon. Full time writers seem to think we don't understand their lives. We supposedly think they sit around all day under the umbrella by the pool and jot down notes. But it isn't that. They have their schedules to themselves. no boss. no set break or 30min lunch. no hall pass or phone stats. nobody looking over their shoulders. And the freedom to make writing their full time job and have the freedom to fit another interest/hobby into their lives. Instead of having to pick one or squeeze them both together into limited time, not being able to give enough time to either one. /end rant [nowhere in there am I trying to even vaguely imply that writing is easy! definitely not. writing has its own set of stresses that I get to experience even in just my limited way. it's just having the time to write. that would be so nice to not have to go to work and sit in a cube and ... ok, fine so it's been one of those days. i hate work. why can't i win the lottery already]

anyway, I have it pretty damn good. my schedule is amazing right now. I am getting plenty of sleep so the exercise motivation should come with time. I'm still on the 4 week plan and reassess then. And last night I was able to work on my story for an hour.

WII Fit Stats- Tues - Week 2

Weight: ~138.5
Eliptical program: 1
Yoga: 20 mins, OK rating
Run: 20mins, 1.757 ** stars (calorie burner). 109 calories
Total: 149 calories

Feedback: I made it out of bed this morning. This morning was very much a "why am I doing this again?" On those mornings, I don't really have a good answer. But this morning I went with "because you have to" and that worked.
Yoga pose- I am saddest about losing the tree pose. Back to square 1 on the left side. weird how the right side is so much easier (since I'm a lefty).

WII Fit Stats- Fri

I couldn't get out of bed this morning so I skipped the yoga routine and just did a few of them afterward to stretch.

weight? I forget what it said. 136.3 ? something like that.
Run: Prog 1 (1-2-3-4-5-2-3-5-4-3-2-1) stayed at resistance 1 for the first 5 mins! I thought I'd made a mistake and didn't set a program for awhile there.
20mins - 2.120miles- 2stars- 108 cal

With the couple of yoga stretches about 116 total this morning

My eliptical said only 0.74 distance but 267cal, 83.6 fat calories.

Feedback: I'm definitely more interested in the muscle building than the calorie burn right now. I still broke the 2 mile goal. !!
My right knee is still having problems. I've always had knee problems so it's not bad.

Yes my math skills are terrible.
7 min mile means I can do 3 miles in 21 mins or 4 miles in 28mins
I used to do about 7min50 mile in high school (I think, it was awhile ago now. I think I used to finish the race in about 24-26 mins). I never tried at cross country, just kind of showed up on first day. It'd be interesting if I could ever get down to 7min mile. Right now it is solid WORK to do 10min mile.

WII Fit Stats- Thurs

Thurs evening
137lbs
Yoga- 20mins (OK rating)
Jog- 20mins, 2.143mi ** rating - calorie roaster
Program 4- resistance: 1-2-3-5-4-7-4-7-3-2-1
109 cal burned
Total: 149 cal burned

Feedback: Yoga was better tonight. I finally did the tree pose on both legs. And I'm starting to figure out the yellow circle (this is relevant to Wii fit)
Not as frustrated with yoga- maybe someday I'll actually be able to do the positions correctly.
Run: program 4 is definitely tough. I was determined to have 10min miles tonight. I was rewarded with High Score (even though this was the hardest eliptical program) but rating was only 2 stars. Hmmm.
My goal is to have 7 min miles and run for 30mins so a little over 3 miles in 30mins. I wonder how many stars that will get me? Definitely not rushing into that. When I'm comfortable doing 8-9 min miles, I'll look to upping to 30mins...I think... kind of playing it by ear right now.
Too bad my eliptical is so crappy it only has a 20 min program.
And just to be honest my right knee hurts. here's the twisty side: I think it's actually due to not doing yoga correctly but I think the reason I'm not in worse shape from the running is BECAUSE of doing the yoga stretches. So it's a trade off. I think the yoga form will get better and hopefully the knee will follow.

Diet: yeah, you don't want to know. some cake in there today and probably some brownies yesterday. and whatever other crap I could get my hands on. However, right now: I just want to get some running muscles back. I'll worry about my weight/diet later. Plus my diet goes way downhill as soon as I start 'watching what I eat'.

Now time to shower and eat and work on my story again. :)

WII Fit Stats- Weds

Weight 138lbs (brownie was NOT a great idea) :(
Yoga- 20mins (Wii rating=OK)
Run- 20mins- 1.690miles- 108calories
Program 3 (1-2-3-5-7-7-5-3-2-1)

Total 148 cals

Feedback:
Prog 3 was tough/I was at resistance 7 for a long time. Had the worst results (unranked). LOL. It will be interesting to see how I improve at this one.
Yoga with socks- bad idea. I am so bad at yoga in general, I must say. Day 3 and I've about given up hope. you know what it is- my form has gotten worse instead of better. I'm going to give it 4 weeks and see how I feel then.
UPDATE THURSDAY: I went home last night (Wed) and crashed in front of the evil box. My mind was rebelling from being so productive. Stayed up late. what a mess. But today (thurs) is better. Back on track and motivated again.

And yes, on another note

I have been working on my story every day--for at least the last several weeks--but haven't wanted to jinx myself.