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Wonderland Lettering Completed

I’ve been avoiding writing. But since I’ve been avoiding writing by doing something creative, I don’t actually feel too bad about that fact. I spent much of my evenings last week and part of my weekend finishing the “Sienna in Wonderland” art work for my niece’s room by adding layers of paint to each panel. I always kind of kick myself when I do super thin lines in the forms of spirals like this, because I don’t have great brushes for that kind of detail work. It turned out fine, though, and I’m happy with the final product.

Sienna in Wonderland wall art

in

Sienna in Wonderland wall art

I have also painted the frames, so that one will be bright blue and the other bright purple. It should make a great addition to my niece’s bedroom.

The wood cutout of a teapot will be painted by my sister Pilar (aka, Auntie No. 2), so once it’s all complete and hanging on my niece’s wall, I’ll be sure to take a final picture to show you guys.

I’m not posting a goals list this week and probably won’t next week either, since it’s impractical to expect myself to complete a big long list of to-dos when I’ll be traveling both this and next weekend. The first weekend trip with be half for work and half for play with me spending a few days on the Pensacola, FL beach. The second weekend trip will be to Washington, DC to meet up with some of my tumblr buddies, and we’ll be checking out the local museums and other fun stuff.

Still, there’s opportunity over the next couple of days to, as Pilar says, “get sh!t done,” so we’ll see how it goes. Mostly I don’t want to overwork myself, because I want to stay healthy for my trips.

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"As human beings, we have a natural compulsion to fill empty spaces." – Will Shortz

One submission was made last week of a previously rejected story and I finished the sketch stage of creating my niece’s wall art, which you can see below.

Wall Art – Part I
Wall art for my niece

Wall Art – Part II
Wall art for my niece

In between these will be a wood cutout of a teapot with the word “in” on it (which my other sister will be creating), so it will read “Sienna in Wonderland” once it is all completed. The next step with these pieces will be to add paint in yellow, teal, purple, and/or blue. I will probably do some test patches before deciding.

I have been out of the groove with writing lately and I’m having a hard time getting back into it. I need some deadlines I think, or at least a schedule to kick me back into gear.

To be accomplished in the coming week:
– Finish second half of Chapter Six of Under the Midday Moon
– Submit something (poem, story, whatever)
– Workout at least three days with two workouts being running training (0/3)
– Do three morning yoga workouts (0/3)
– Practice my Spanish
– Do color testing and final paintwork on niece’s wall art

– Make Progress on Organization (do one or more of the following):
• Buy shower curtain hooks for organizing scarves
• Find a way to better organize shoes with double shelf or slots
• Buy a tie hangar for necklaces and create rack for earrings
• Shred papers and dispose of them
• Measure pictures and buy frames

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"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." ~ Vincent Van Gogh

Last week was starting to shape up into another nothing-gets-done kind of week, when BAM!  I somehow got smacked with some determination and began cleaning out my shelf, adding items to my Goodwill pile, tossing others, and reorganizing the rest. I even created an itemized list to go with the receipt and then took the bags and boxes to the donation station (follow through? what?).

This new sense of order inspired me to go a step further and attack the craft, writing, and office supplies in my closet. I went through every random box in there, from empty shoe boxes to big bins to get a sense of what was where. I kept finding surprises — stuff I’d shoved into boxes because I didn’t know what to do with it or knew what to do with but didn’t have a place for. I kept asking myself over and over, why? why on earth would I have put this here. I have no easy answer.

My closet is now the most organized it has been since, well, since I’ve had it. I now have access to my painting and art supplies, which have been placed in plastic drawers and easy to reach bins, while putting the things I don’t need as often out of the way.

Goddess, that feels good.

With my exercise goals accomplished and the organization done, I feel good about last week, even if I didn’t move my writing goals forward.

Organizational-wise, I have to get some tools to get my shoes and jewelery under control, but that’s a small thing. My next big hurdle will be to try to bring order to my writing projects (various short stories, poetry, etc.), and I don’t have the foggiest how to do that.

Any suggestions on how you keep stories, novels, and all their notes and drafts in order (both in print and in the computer) would be greatly appreciated.

To be accomplished in the coming week:
– Finish second half of Chapter Six of Under the Midday Moon
– Submit something (poem, story, whatever)
– Workout at least three days with two workouts being running training (0/3)
– Do three morning yoga workouts (1/3)
– Practice my Spanish
– Finish stenciling on art project for niece’s bedroom

– Make Progress on Organization (do one or more of the following):
• Buy shower curtain hooks for organizing scarves
• Find a way to better organize shoes with double shelf or slots
• Buy a tie hangar for necklaces and create rack for earrings
• Shred papers and dispose of them
• Measure pictures and buy frames

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Monday Update with a hearty helping of Link Soup

First, I present to you some Link Soup.

  • Poets might be interested to learn that submissions are open for a Mermaid Anthology from Sundress Publications that is “interested in poems that push the mermaid myth and figure into a new light. Submissions should not simply retell the mermaid and her classic story but establish new facets in which to read, question, admire, interrogate, and fear this fantastical siren.”
  • Historical fiction, fantasy, and movies have done a lot to erase people of color from mainstream consciousness, to the point that many writers and readers argue that including POC in stories is unrealistic. Medieval POC is a fantastic blog that presents historical evidence of POC existing in Europe in the middle ages.
  • Maleficent is a new live action Disney movie coming out that will tell the story of sleeping beauty from the villain’s point of view. I’ve long thought Meleficent was cool and I have hopes that this will be decent. I just hope they make her a strong complex character without letting things get too corny.
  • I’ve recently found out about the Disposable Film Fest, which presents short films created with “low cost video technology: everyday equipment like mobile phones, pocket cameras, DSLRs and other inexpensive devices.” I keep trying to figure out when the fest is presented in San Fran, so that I can go and I’d also like to try to put together and submit a film. In the mean time, I’m loving the shorts on the website, like this year’s grand prize winner, Malaria, which is amazing.

* * * *

What got accomplished last week? Not much. I got my running days in, but nothing else. *sigh*

That which must be accomplished in the coming week:
– Finish second half of Chapter Six of Under the Midday Moon
– Submit something (poem, story, whatever)
– Workout at least three days with two workouts being running training (0/3)
– Do three morning yoga workouts (0/3)
– Practice my Spanish
– Get stenciling done on art project for niece’s bedroom

– Make Progress on Organization (do one or more of the following):
• Find a minimum of ten items (big or small) that can be gotten rid of and get rid of them
• Take all items to donate to Goodwill

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"We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled….

…The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” ~ Ray Bradbury

Wow, so it’s been an entire month since I’ve done a Monday Update post — during that month, there’s been a trip to Mexico, followed by me coming home and getting sick, while trying to pull off my day job work with lots of over time hours. I haven’t really had the spoons to be able to think about doing any thing else, including running (though I’ve done some strength training with my personal trainer).

Despite that, I managed to polish off the Letter Box poetry chapbook and submit it (accomplished on the very last day to submit, but I did it), and inquired about the few submissions I have out. Since I still haven’t heard a response, I’m going to call them rejected and send them elsewhere.

The really, really good news is that the The 2013 Rhysling Anthology, which includes my poem “Red Riding Hood Remembers” is now available and you can go buy and read it and stuff. (^_^)

That which must be accomplished in the coming week:
– Finish second half of Chapter Six of Under the Midday Moon
– Submit something (poem, story, whatever)
– Workout at least three days with two workouts being running training (0/3)
– Do three morning yoga workouts (0/3)
– Practice my Spanish
– Get stenciling done on art project for niece’s bedroom

– Make Progress on Organization (do one or more of the following):
• Find a minimum of ten items (big or small) that can be gotten rid of and get rid of them
• Take all items to donate to Goodwill