The month of November will be a bit crazy for me. Why? I'm finally going to do something I've wanted to try for several years. National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo, starts November 1 at 12:01 AM and lasts until November 30 at 12:00 AM. The goal? To write a 50,000 word novel in a month. That seems daunting when you look at that number. Fifty thousand words. Roughly 175 pages. In one month. Have I lost my mind? Probably. When you break it down in smaller chunks, that's 1,667 words a day. That seems more doable. My plan is to write 2,000 words a day, so in case I need a day off or I hit a patch of writer's block I'll have some leeway.
So, yes, I will probably be a crazy woman the entire month of November. Especially since I can't remember the last time I've done any creative writing. I've got a few ideas rattling around my head, so it's just a matter of organizing them and seeing where it leads. The problem is, the only plots I can think of are tragic ones. Deaths, suicides, dealing with awful events. Strange. We'll see. Am I going to share this novel? Probably not, because it's going to be really really really bad. Like I said, it's been a while, so I'm very rusty with the whole creative writing thing. Something I want to change, since I love writing.
Two thousand words a day, plus any other freelance writing assignments I can get my hands one, plus staying on top of my workouts. This is definitely going to be a challenge. If I finish, great, if I come up short, well I can try again next year. If I stay positive and don't slack off I think I'll be able to do this.
Yikes.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
November Craziness
The month of November will be a bit crazy for me. Why? I'm finally going to do something I've wanted to try for several years. National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo, starts November 1 at 12:01 AM and lasts until November 30 at 12:00 AM. The goal? To write a 50,000 word novel in a month. That seems daunting when you look at that number. Fifty thousand words. Roughly 175 pages. In one month. Have I lost my mind? Probably. When you break it down in smaller chunks, that's 1,667 words a day. That seems more doable. My plan is to write 2,000 words a day, so in case I need a day off or I hit a patch of writer's block I'll have some leeway.
So, yes, I will probably be a crazy woman the entire month of November. Especially since I can't remember the last time I've done any creative writing. I've got a few ideas rattling around my head, so it's just a matter of organizing them and seeing where it leads. The problem is, the only plots I can think of are tragic ones. Deaths, suicides, dealing with awful events. Strange. We'll see. Am I going to share this novel? Probably not, because it's going to be really really really bad. Like I said, it's been a while, so I'm very rusty with the whole creative writing thing. Something I want to change, since I love writing.
Two thousand words a day, plus any other freelance writing assignments I can get my hands one, plus staying on top of my workouts. This is definitely going to be a challenge. If I finish, great, if I come up short, well I can try again next year. If I stay positive and don't slack off I think I'll be able to do this.
Yikes.
So, yes, I will probably be a crazy woman the entire month of November. Especially since I can't remember the last time I've done any creative writing. I've got a few ideas rattling around my head, so it's just a matter of organizing them and seeing where it leads. The problem is, the only plots I can think of are tragic ones. Deaths, suicides, dealing with awful events. Strange. We'll see. Am I going to share this novel? Probably not, because it's going to be really really really bad. Like I said, it's been a while, so I'm very rusty with the whole creative writing thing. Something I want to change, since I love writing.
Two thousand words a day, plus any other freelance writing assignments I can get my hands one, plus staying on top of my workouts. This is definitely going to be a challenge. If I finish, great, if I come up short, well I can try again next year. If I stay positive and don't slack off I think I'll be able to do this.
Yikes.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Quick Update
I know my updates seem to be nowhere lately. I've been busy with a bunch of ghost writing in the last few weeks. Having written about fifteen to twenty articles I've been a bit tied up. The sites I write for have slowed down a little bit, so I may be posting more updates here soon.
Things that have been going on with me:
Things that have been going on with me:
- Lots and lots of writing.
- Have been keeping up with my strength routine.
- Staying off my right foot so it can get better.
- More writing.
I love to write, so I am completely happy with all of the opportunities I've been finding online. It can get a bit stressful if I can't find information on a certain topic. That's when I dig deep through the Internet and find what I need. Lots and lots of digging. The main articles I've been writing lately have been information on various countries. It is interesting to learn about these places, but trying to find information on the nightlife in them can be a bit tough. Some of the more depressed countries like Somalia or others in Africa have very little information on the evening entertainment. I've got to get creative when it comes to that section of the article. I just picked up two more of those article types that are due on Monday.
As far as my workouts are concerned, it's going well. I've kept up with my strength training, for the most part. And I'm getting back into my elliptical routine as well. My right foot seems to be doing OK, so I'm working on my endurance and distance. At the moment I'm going about .4 mile three days a week. I'm hoping by next Friday I can get up to .5 mile. And I'm letting myself take breaks when I need it. My endurance is really lacking, and I had to stop twice last Friday. But I went without a break yesterday, so it is improving somewhat. Last year at this time it's hard to imagine I was doing a full mile nonstop in about 37 or 38 minutes. I'll get back to that point eventually. With the shin splints and this strange foot thing, taking as much time off as I have has wreaked havoc on my endurance.
The weather is still trying to decide if it wants to stat with summer temperatures or drop to fall. We had a high of the mid 80s for about a week a few weeks ago. It got back up to the 100s and now we seem to be getting down into the 90s for a high. Looks like our highs will be in the 80s next week, so maybe fall will actually stick around this time.
Not sure what else to update on, not much is really happening. I've got a few posts I'd like to write here, I just need to sit down and write them, I keep saying that, and I keep procrastinating or something else pops up (like these writing assignments) and I never get to it. I should be getting more time to write soon though.
This is kind of a disjointed post, but at least it is a post. More will be coming soon.
Quick Update
I know my updates seem to be nowhere lately. I've been busy with a bunch of ghost writing in the last few weeks. Having written about fifteen to twenty articles I've been a bit tied up. The sites I write for have slowed down a little bit, so I may be posting more updates here soon.
Things that have been going on with me:
Things that have been going on with me:
- Lots and lots of writing.
- Have been keeping up with my strength routine.
- Staying off my right foot so it can get better.
- More writing.
I love to write, so I am completely happy with all of the opportunities I've been finding online. It can get a bit stressful if I can't find information on a certain topic. That's when I dig deep through the Internet and find what I need. Lots and lots of digging. The main articles I've been writing lately have been information on various countries. It is interesting to learn about these places, but trying to find information on the nightlife in them can be a bit tough. Some of the more depressed countries like Somalia or others in Africa have very little information on the evening entertainment. I've got to get creative when it comes to that section of the article. I just picked up two more of those article types that are due on Monday.
As far as my workouts are concerned, it's going well. I've kept up with my strength training, for the most part. And I'm getting back into my elliptical routine as well. My right foot seems to be doing OK, so I'm working on my endurance and distance. At the moment I'm going about .4 mile three days a week. I'm hoping by next Friday I can get up to .5 mile. And I'm letting myself take breaks when I need it. My endurance is really lacking, and I had to stop twice last Friday. But I went without a break yesterday, so it is improving somewhat. Last year at this time it's hard to imagine I was doing a full mile nonstop in about 37 or 38 minutes. I'll get back to that point eventually. With the shin splints and this strange foot thing, taking as much time off as I have has wreaked havoc on my endurance.
The weather is still trying to decide if it wants to stat with summer temperatures or drop to fall. We had a high of the mid 80s for about a week a few weeks ago. It got back up to the 100s and now we seem to be getting down into the 90s for a high. Looks like our highs will be in the 80s next week, so maybe fall will actually stick around this time.
Not sure what else to update on, not much is really happening. I've got a few posts I'd like to write here, I just need to sit down and write them, I keep saying that, and I keep procrastinating or something else pops up (like these writing assignments) and I never get to it. I should be getting more time to write soon though.
This is kind of a disjointed post, but at least it is a post. More will be coming soon.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Thoughts About Bon Jovi's We Weren't Born To Follow Video
I'll start out by saying that most of my friends and family know that I am a huge Bon Jovi fan. When I say huge, I mean huge! I've seen them in concert twice and they're the only band I can exercise to. I've tried different bands to workout to, and they just don't get the job done. Don't get me wrong, I do like other groups, but there's something about Bon Jovi that pushes me where I need to go.
I first discovered their music I think when I was in fifth grade, certainly by sixth. Since that time, the members of Bon Jovi and their music have been a big part of my life. It was their music I turned to when I was having a bad day. When I got teased and looked at funny by other students, I remembered particular lyrics in their songs that got me through that moment. When I don't think I can go another five or ten minutes on my elliptical, I just tell myself "that's one or two more Bon Jovi songs you get to hear".
On that note, I'm a bit perturbed by their new video that was released just a few days ago. The song We Weren't Born To Follow came on the airwaves not too long ago, and it's the theme to the Major League Baseball season. That's all well and good. I believe their song Who Says You Can't Go Home from the Have A Nice Day album was the MLB's theme song a few years ago.
I've known for a long time now that Bon Jovi were huge democrats. I don't know if it was the whole band, but I know Jon Bon Jovi helped campaign for John Kerry, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. And that's also fine. Where I have a problem though, is when they insert political issues into their videos. They have shots of Obama in the video (as well as Al Gore), and I sort of get a bad feeling when I see that. I'm in no way shape or form a political person. I don't follow politics at all, but I do know that Obama isn't living up to what he said he would.
I've also read where Bon Jovi went after the McCain/Palin party, getting after them about using their music for their campaign. This is kind of disappointing to me because if you listen to any of Bon Jovi's songs their lyrics are uplifting and positive. Most of their songs talk about standing up for what you believe in, and to keep on fighting when things get tough. When I listen to their songs, I don't associate them with one political party or another, but I associate them with the entire human race. So when one political party is told not to use their music (or that of any other band, I think I remember the band Heart telling McCain/Palin to not use their Barracuda song during their campaign too), I get kind of annoyed.
In the We Weren't Born To Follow video there are also shots of the miraculous Hudson River plane crash, shots from NASA and a shot of a basketball team that looked to be a part of the Special Olympics and of course the shot of Lance Armstrong holding his trophy. Those are great shots, because they signify accomplishments great and small that everyone can be proud of. Everyone can be proud of Lance Armstrong for overcoming all that he has to win the Tour De France. Everyone can be thankful and grateful about the Hudson River plane incident and be very proud of Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger's heroic efforts. And everyone can be proud about the competitors in the Special Olympics. But Obama? Does he really fit in with this upbeat and positive song? Not in my opinion.
It has me wondering. If I was in charge of a particular cause that Bon Jovi didn't believe in, would they come after me for using a song of theirs? They obviously don't support the republican party, so what if they didn't support whatever cause I was standing for? Am I automatically banned from their "allowed to play" list?
I'm not saying I won't buy any more Bon Jovi albums ever again, but I am saying I disagree with some of their opinions, political or otherwise. I disagree that political images were placed into their music video. I'm going to ignore their political views and just keep enjoying their songs. I'll keep being inspired to keep on going by their music. I needed to write this down for my own peace of mind. I'll take Bon Jovi's advice when they say to take one of their songs and make it your own. Take the song Have A Nice Day. I had no idea what their interpretation of that song was originally. I took it to mean that if things weren't going your way to just smile and move on. Smile and say "have a nice day" no matter how upset you are with someone. I found out later that is was written for that exact reason, but their reason for saying it was because George W. Bush had just been elected and they are basically saying "screw you" to the republicans.
I think from now on, I'm not going to listen to anymore interviews done with Jon Bon Jovi, as much as it pains me (and knowing me I'll sill listen), because when I hear things like that, it makes me sad. So, I'll just be happy with the upbeat songs and not worry what the actually meaning to them are. I'll make my own meaning for them. Doesn't mean I don't like the members any less, just their views on certain things. It also doesn't mean i don't think the guys in the band are any less attractive, hehehe. Yes, they're in their 40's and 50's now, but they still look damn good!
I first discovered their music I think when I was in fifth grade, certainly by sixth. Since that time, the members of Bon Jovi and their music have been a big part of my life. It was their music I turned to when I was having a bad day. When I got teased and looked at funny by other students, I remembered particular lyrics in their songs that got me through that moment. When I don't think I can go another five or ten minutes on my elliptical, I just tell myself "that's one or two more Bon Jovi songs you get to hear".
On that note, I'm a bit perturbed by their new video that was released just a few days ago. The song We Weren't Born To Follow came on the airwaves not too long ago, and it's the theme to the Major League Baseball season. That's all well and good. I believe their song Who Says You Can't Go Home from the Have A Nice Day album was the MLB's theme song a few years ago.
I've known for a long time now that Bon Jovi were huge democrats. I don't know if it was the whole band, but I know Jon Bon Jovi helped campaign for John Kerry, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. And that's also fine. Where I have a problem though, is when they insert political issues into their videos. They have shots of Obama in the video (as well as Al Gore), and I sort of get a bad feeling when I see that. I'm in no way shape or form a political person. I don't follow politics at all, but I do know that Obama isn't living up to what he said he would.
I've also read where Bon Jovi went after the McCain/Palin party, getting after them about using their music for their campaign. This is kind of disappointing to me because if you listen to any of Bon Jovi's songs their lyrics are uplifting and positive. Most of their songs talk about standing up for what you believe in, and to keep on fighting when things get tough. When I listen to their songs, I don't associate them with one political party or another, but I associate them with the entire human race. So when one political party is told not to use their music (or that of any other band, I think I remember the band Heart telling McCain/Palin to not use their Barracuda song during their campaign too), I get kind of annoyed.
In the We Weren't Born To Follow video there are also shots of the miraculous Hudson River plane crash, shots from NASA and a shot of a basketball team that looked to be a part of the Special Olympics and of course the shot of Lance Armstrong holding his trophy. Those are great shots, because they signify accomplishments great and small that everyone can be proud of. Everyone can be proud of Lance Armstrong for overcoming all that he has to win the Tour De France. Everyone can be thankful and grateful about the Hudson River plane incident and be very proud of Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger's heroic efforts. And everyone can be proud about the competitors in the Special Olympics. But Obama? Does he really fit in with this upbeat and positive song? Not in my opinion.
It has me wondering. If I was in charge of a particular cause that Bon Jovi didn't believe in, would they come after me for using a song of theirs? They obviously don't support the republican party, so what if they didn't support whatever cause I was standing for? Am I automatically banned from their "allowed to play" list?
I'm not saying I won't buy any more Bon Jovi albums ever again, but I am saying I disagree with some of their opinions, political or otherwise. I disagree that political images were placed into their music video. I'm going to ignore their political views and just keep enjoying their songs. I'll keep being inspired to keep on going by their music. I needed to write this down for my own peace of mind. I'll take Bon Jovi's advice when they say to take one of their songs and make it your own. Take the song Have A Nice Day. I had no idea what their interpretation of that song was originally. I took it to mean that if things weren't going your way to just smile and move on. Smile and say "have a nice day" no matter how upset you are with someone. I found out later that is was written for that exact reason, but their reason for saying it was because George W. Bush had just been elected and they are basically saying "screw you" to the republicans.
I think from now on, I'm not going to listen to anymore interviews done with Jon Bon Jovi, as much as it pains me (and knowing me I'll sill listen), because when I hear things like that, it makes me sad. So, I'll just be happy with the upbeat songs and not worry what the actually meaning to them are. I'll make my own meaning for them. Doesn't mean I don't like the members any less, just their views on certain things. It also doesn't mean i don't think the guys in the band are any less attractive, hehehe. Yes, they're in their 40's and 50's now, but they still look damn good!
Thoughts About Bon Jovi's We Weren't Born To Follow Video
I'll start out by saying that most of my friends and family know that I am a huge Bon Jovi fan. When I say huge, I mean huge! I've seen them in concert twice and they're the only band I can exercise to. I've tried different bands to workout to, and they just don't get the job done. Don't get me wrong, I do like other groups, but there's something about Bon Jovi that pushes me where I need to go.
I first discovered their music I think when I was in fifth grade, certainly by sixth. Since that time, the members of Bon Jovi and their music have been a big part of my life. It was their music I turned to when I was having a bad day. When I got teased and looked at funny by other students, I remembered particular lyrics in their songs that got me through that moment. When I don't think I can go another five or ten minutes on my elliptical, I just tell myself "that's one or two more Bon Jovi songs you get to hear".
On that note, I'm a bit perturbed by their new video that was released just a few days ago. The song We Weren't Born To Follow came on the airwaves not too long ago, and it's the theme to the Major League Baseball season. That's all well and good. I believe their song Who Says You Can't Go Home from the Have A Nice Day album was the MLB's theme song a few years ago.
I've known for a long time now that Bon Jovi were huge democrats. I don't know if it was the whole band, but I know Jon Bon Jovi helped campaign for John Kerry, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. And that's also fine. Where I have a problem though, is when they insert political issues into their videos. They have shots of Obama in the video (as well as Al Gore), and I sort of get a bad feeling when I see that. I'm in no way shape or form a political person. I don't follow politics at all, but I do know that Obama isn't living up to what he said he would.
I've also read where Bon Jovi went after the McCain/Palin party, getting after them about using their music for their campaign. This is kind of disappointing to me because if you listen to any of Bon Jovi's songs their lyrics are uplifting and positive. Most of their songs talk about standing up for what you believe in, and to keep on fighting when things get tough. When I listen to their songs, I don't associate them with one political party or another, but I associate them with the entire human race. So when one political party is told not to use their music (or that of any other band, I think I remember the band Heart telling McCain/Palin to not use their Barracuda song during their campaign too), I get kind of annoyed.
In the We Weren't Born To Follow video there are also shots of the miraculous Hudson River plane crash, shots from NASA and a shot of a basketball team that looked to be a part of the Special Olympics and of course the shot of Lance Armstrong holding his trophy. Those are great shots, because they signify accomplishments great and small that everyone can be proud of. Everyone can be proud of Lance Armstrong for overcoming all that he has to win the Tour De France. Everyone can be thankful and grateful about the Hudson River plane incident and be very proud of Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger's heroic efforts. And everyone can be proud about the competitors in the Special Olympics. But Obama? Does he really fit in with this upbeat and positive song? Not in my opinion.
It has me wondering. If I was in charge of a particular cause that Bon Jovi didn't believe in, would they come after me for using a song of theirs? They obviously don't support the republican party, so what if they didn't support whatever cause I was standing for? Am I automatically banned from their "allowed to play" list?
I'm not saying I won't buy any more Bon Jovi albums ever again, but I am saying I disagree with some of their opinions, political or otherwise. I disagree that political images were placed into their music video. I'm going to ignore their political views and just keep enjoying their songs. I'll keep being inspired to keep on going by their music. I needed to write this down for my own peace of mind. I'll take Bon Jovi's advice when they say to take one of their songs and make it your own. Take the song Have A Nice Day. I had no idea what their interpretation of that song was originally. I took it to mean that if things weren't going your way to just smile and move on. Smile and say "have a nice day" no matter how upset you are with someone. I found out later that is was written for that exact reason, but their reason for saying it was because George W. Bush had just been elected and they are basically saying "screw you" to the republicans.
I think from now on, I'm not going to listen to anymore interviews done with Jon Bon Jovi, as much as it pains me (and knowing me I'll sill listen), because when I hear things like that, it makes me sad. So, I'll just be happy with the upbeat songs and not worry what the actually meaning to them are. I'll make my own meaning for them. Doesn't mean I don't like the members any less, just their views on certain things. It also doesn't mean i don't think the guys in the band are any less attractive, hehehe. Yes, they're in their 40's and 50's now, but they still look damn good!
I first discovered their music I think when I was in fifth grade, certainly by sixth. Since that time, the members of Bon Jovi and their music have been a big part of my life. It was their music I turned to when I was having a bad day. When I got teased and looked at funny by other students, I remembered particular lyrics in their songs that got me through that moment. When I don't think I can go another five or ten minutes on my elliptical, I just tell myself "that's one or two more Bon Jovi songs you get to hear".
On that note, I'm a bit perturbed by their new video that was released just a few days ago. The song We Weren't Born To Follow came on the airwaves not too long ago, and it's the theme to the Major League Baseball season. That's all well and good. I believe their song Who Says You Can't Go Home from the Have A Nice Day album was the MLB's theme song a few years ago.
I've known for a long time now that Bon Jovi were huge democrats. I don't know if it was the whole band, but I know Jon Bon Jovi helped campaign for John Kerry, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. And that's also fine. Where I have a problem though, is when they insert political issues into their videos. They have shots of Obama in the video (as well as Al Gore), and I sort of get a bad feeling when I see that. I'm in no way shape or form a political person. I don't follow politics at all, but I do know that Obama isn't living up to what he said he would.
I've also read where Bon Jovi went after the McCain/Palin party, getting after them about using their music for their campaign. This is kind of disappointing to me because if you listen to any of Bon Jovi's songs their lyrics are uplifting and positive. Most of their songs talk about standing up for what you believe in, and to keep on fighting when things get tough. When I listen to their songs, I don't associate them with one political party or another, but I associate them with the entire human race. So when one political party is told not to use their music (or that of any other band, I think I remember the band Heart telling McCain/Palin to not use their Barracuda song during their campaign too), I get kind of annoyed.
In the We Weren't Born To Follow video there are also shots of the miraculous Hudson River plane crash, shots from NASA and a shot of a basketball team that looked to be a part of the Special Olympics and of course the shot of Lance Armstrong holding his trophy. Those are great shots, because they signify accomplishments great and small that everyone can be proud of. Everyone can be proud of Lance Armstrong for overcoming all that he has to win the Tour De France. Everyone can be thankful and grateful about the Hudson River plane incident and be very proud of Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger's heroic efforts. And everyone can be proud about the competitors in the Special Olympics. But Obama? Does he really fit in with this upbeat and positive song? Not in my opinion.
It has me wondering. If I was in charge of a particular cause that Bon Jovi didn't believe in, would they come after me for using a song of theirs? They obviously don't support the republican party, so what if they didn't support whatever cause I was standing for? Am I automatically banned from their "allowed to play" list?
I'm not saying I won't buy any more Bon Jovi albums ever again, but I am saying I disagree with some of their opinions, political or otherwise. I disagree that political images were placed into their music video. I'm going to ignore their political views and just keep enjoying their songs. I'll keep being inspired to keep on going by their music. I needed to write this down for my own peace of mind. I'll take Bon Jovi's advice when they say to take one of their songs and make it your own. Take the song Have A Nice Day. I had no idea what their interpretation of that song was originally. I took it to mean that if things weren't going your way to just smile and move on. Smile and say "have a nice day" no matter how upset you are with someone. I found out later that is was written for that exact reason, but their reason for saying it was because George W. Bush had just been elected and they are basically saying "screw you" to the republicans.
I think from now on, I'm not going to listen to anymore interviews done with Jon Bon Jovi, as much as it pains me (and knowing me I'll sill listen), because when I hear things like that, it makes me sad. So, I'll just be happy with the upbeat songs and not worry what the actually meaning to them are. I'll make my own meaning for them. Doesn't mean I don't like the members any less, just their views on certain things. It also doesn't mean i don't think the guys in the band are any less attractive, hehehe. Yes, they're in their 40's and 50's now, but they still look damn good!
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