The Week in Review

A busy week for me. I've been writing a lot, just not so much on my blogs. I feel a bit bad about that - I branched out and then cut back the time I'm willing to spend. But I know it's only temporary. (Well, everything is only temporary, isn't it?)

I'm taking another fiction class, because I find the external structure is the best way to make myself accountable to producing new writing. I'm also gearing up towards writing the first draft of my first novel in November. Not exactly a Nanowrimo, but loosely aiming for their guidelines. As a few writers have pointed out, November may not be the BEST month what with Thanksgiving and travel and all. But, hey, maybe the family gatherings will yield some bonus material.

I've also stepped up my yoga practice. After teacher training ended, I took a bit of a break. More than anything, I've been hesitant to spend so much time away from the family (training took A LOT of weekend time!) and I've eschewed daytime classes in favor of work. But now I'm back in two to three classes a week on a regular basis, and I'm committing to my own Ashtanga practice at home.

(If you don't know, Ashtanga is a type of yoga that basically follows a set list of poses. It's quite physically demanding, with almost constant motion plus an emphasis on both strength and correct form. You do the practice repeatedly, learning and building ability by returning to it over and over. The entire sequence, if done properly, takes a long time. Several hours, probably. I'm still only doing abridged and modified versions.)

I also realized that I need to give myself more time around people. So I returned to volunteering once a week and also made time for lunch with my parents. Throw in a couple of playdates with the kids' friends, the homework/dinner/chores triumvirate of every evening, and tutoring T two or three times each week, and you can see that my days go pretty quickly.

But now it's the weekend. The kids are off to grandma's; Shawn and I have a nice romantic evening planned; and we have the whole two days to sleep late, clean up, do projects, and visit family. Hope you get to recharge as well!