There's still one day of January left, but I think we're close enough to the end to call it more or less over. And we're easily close enough to call my first attempt at building some life-altering momentum one month at a time more or less a failure. The plan for January was to finish the first draft of the manuscript by tomorrow. I know I was all clever and mysterious in not revealing that goal back when I started, and that turned out to be a really bad idea. With nobody knowing what I was trying to do, there was nobody to hold me accountable for it. And what do you know? I didn't follow through.
I started off strong, getting back into a rhythm of promising myself 1,000 words a day and holding that pace for about a week. But then it started dropping off as I renewed my hatred of January and its continuous cold and darkness and ice and wind and cold and depression and darkness... yeah. Thanks, Earth. Much appreciated. Then I also got all fired up about trying to reinvent something in my classroom again (harkening back to that "attention span of a goldfish" thing)... and then I dug out an album from the iTunes library that got me aching to revisit an old manuscript that I still feel has a great concept but misfired in the first draft... and then I learned that "Homeland" was only available through On Demand for another two weeks so I had to watch two or three episodes a night to get through them all before they disappeared (and seriously? What exactly was the big deal about "Homeland?" It wasn't anything special).... anyway. You probably see a pattern. Distractions. Obstacles. Things I could have powered through had I chosen to, but did not.
But it's not that I didn't get anything done. I have a better idea now of how the story is going to come together, and I really need to just sit down and force myself to get through it. To refer back to my Sam and Frodo analogy, I did make it down the hill. But then I looked across the plains of Mordor and thought, "Oh crap, I'm never getting across." So in the interest of momentum, I'm announcing that it's my intention to finish the first draft of that bad boy by the end of February.
But I also have to push forward with a new goal for the month; just because I didn't pull off the first one doesn't mean I'm off the hook for the second. But this time I'm putting it out there. For February I'm going to take the decision-making out of being healthier. Whenever I find myself in a situation where I have to choose between something that would be good for me or not, I will automatically make the healthier choice. This covers what foods I eat, whether or not I exercise even when I'm not psyched about it, doing whatever will be the best thing to minimize my stress at school... any area where a healthier choice is available, I'm going to try my darnedest to make that choice. I'm not asking anyone to be my accountability police force on this, but I'm thinking if I put this out there into the world, simply knowing anyone at all is aware I'm trying to do this will heighten my already overdone self-consciousness and at least guilt me into doing what I know I should do anyway. I guess we'll see how well that works in four more weeks. And seriously - what better time to try and be health-conscious for a month than the shortest one of the year?
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Stuff You Should Watch
If we’re “Friends” on Facebook, you may have noticed I’ve been spamming up the news feed for the past week with video links. I was hesitant to do this at first. After all, 90% of the stuff I see people share on Facebook bugs the crap out of me, so naturally I’m going to assume that anything I share is going to bug the crap out of 90% of the people who might see it. But since I figured that hasn’t stopped anyone else from sharing their photos / links / quotes / Pinterests / Instagrams / Likes and so on... *ahem*... anyway....
As it happens, the videos I’ve shared have ultimately been self-serving. Listening to podcasts has become a favorite activity of mine during the past two years, and my favorite one, “Stuff You Should Know,” is about to make its debut as a program on the Science Channel. I thought if I shared some of the short promo videos they’ve made, other people might get curious about the show and decide to watch it, and then it will get good ratings and stay on TV long enough for that magical six-seasons-and-a-movie benchmark to be reached.
The two co-hosts, Josh and Chuck, are writers/researchers who have an engaging chemistry after years of working together and are great fun to listen to. They each bring their research to the recording booth and share their information through what comes across as a loosely-organized conversation. The podcast comes out twice a week, and over the past four years they've covered a wide variety of topics, such as bioluminescence, coral reefs, the evolution of language, rainforests, philanthropy, torture, microexpressions, cliff diving, desertification, Presidential pardons, flirting, tone deafness, Twinkies, knights, migraines, homelessness, how to survive plane crashes, blood pattern analysis, the Singularity, quantum suicide, Bigfoot, and pizza.
I discovered SYSK (as it’s known by it’s fans, the SYSK Army) about halfway through the run and have been a loyal listener ever since. There are few ways I’ve found better to decompress after a long day than listening to Josh and Chuck tell me all about a topic I never would have thought was interesting before.
The TV show is a somewhat fictional premise where Josh and Chuck play themselves, but in a fictional setting that will somehow tie into some of the different topics they’ve covered in the podcast. If ANY of this sounds interesting enough for you to spend half an hour in front of the TV, I strongly encourage you find the Science Channel on your TV channel box and check it out the premiere tonight - Saturday, January 19.
Josh and Chuck's YouTube Channel
As it happens, the videos I’ve shared have ultimately been self-serving. Listening to podcasts has become a favorite activity of mine during the past two years, and my favorite one, “Stuff You Should Know,” is about to make its debut as a program on the Science Channel. I thought if I shared some of the short promo videos they’ve made, other people might get curious about the show and decide to watch it, and then it will get good ratings and stay on TV long enough for that magical six-seasons-and-a-movie benchmark to be reached.
The two co-hosts, Josh and Chuck, are writers/researchers who have an engaging chemistry after years of working together and are great fun to listen to. They each bring their research to the recording booth and share their information through what comes across as a loosely-organized conversation. The podcast comes out twice a week, and over the past four years they've covered a wide variety of topics, such as bioluminescence, coral reefs, the evolution of language, rainforests, philanthropy, torture, microexpressions, cliff diving, desertification, Presidential pardons, flirting, tone deafness, Twinkies, knights, migraines, homelessness, how to survive plane crashes, blood pattern analysis, the Singularity, quantum suicide, Bigfoot, and pizza.
I discovered SYSK (as it’s known by it’s fans, the SYSK Army) about halfway through the run and have been a loyal listener ever since. There are few ways I’ve found better to decompress after a long day than listening to Josh and Chuck tell me all about a topic I never would have thought was interesting before.
The TV show is a somewhat fictional premise where Josh and Chuck play themselves, but in a fictional setting that will somehow tie into some of the different topics they’ve covered in the podcast. If ANY of this sounds interesting enough for you to spend half an hour in front of the TV, I strongly encourage you find the Science Channel on your TV channel box and check it out the premiere tonight - Saturday, January 19.
Josh and Chuck's YouTube Channel
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Juking the Stats
I noticed recently my Summer Vacation hit count had just gone slightly north of 3,900. Normally that would mean reaching 4,000 would be well within reach this spring. But these are not normal times, and I really don't have much to say about it since these days my expressive energy is devoted to trying to finish my November manuscript.
But I'd really like to see that hit count reach 4,000. So instead of coming up with anything new, I've decided I'm just going to do a little recycling. Below you'll find a list of some of my older posts that maybe you didn't catch the first time they went up. I know it's a lazy way to try and up the count, but that's all I've got in me these days, at least Summer Vacation-wise. So here you are -- some of my favorite posts, for a variety of reasons. Maybe if you click these links, you'll find something you'll enjoy.
Classic Rock Defined - In which I made what I still think is a pretty good case for how to tell if music has earned the right to be called Classic Rock.
Why You Should Always Listen to Your Dad - A self-deprecating and slightly embarrassing moment from my past, dredged up for Father's Day.
Exploring the Gaga / Manson Parallel - Some pop-culture deconstruction with an admittedly snarky tone. A post that I felt was overlooked the first time around, mostly because it contains a few lines that I'm still pretty proud of, including one of my all-time favorites.
Integrity Test - One of those true school moments that I couldn't make up as fiction because it would seem contrived.
Digital Timepieces and the American Revolution - One of my favorite Summer Vacation storytelling moments.
Like vs. Love vs. Pity vs. Hate - One of my favorite school posts. I'd like to think that after reading this, civilians would be able to understand how and why teachers do the things we do.
The Demented Mind of a Math Teacher - A quick, true-life observation.
Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding - I've written quite a bit about my sister's death on Summer Vacation. I haven't mentioned as much about when I lost a student.
Vet Humor - I also wrote some about my dog Spencer when he was still with me; click on the "Dogs Are Awesome" label over on the right if you want to see more. This is one of my favorite memories of him on here since it tells a story that still makes me laugh.
Personal Grooming Shortcuts - Another self-deprecating moment from my past. This one is pretty recent.
There was one more post I almost included but didn't. I thought it was pretty funny but chose not to include here because it could make things a little uncomfortable in my daily life if some people didn't get the joke. If anyone is feeling up to an Easter Egg hunt, go searching and I'll tell you if you find it.
As for the links I included -- browse away, if you choose. See you at 4,000.
But I'd really like to see that hit count reach 4,000. So instead of coming up with anything new, I've decided I'm just going to do a little recycling. Below you'll find a list of some of my older posts that maybe you didn't catch the first time they went up. I know it's a lazy way to try and up the count, but that's all I've got in me these days, at least Summer Vacation-wise. So here you are -- some of my favorite posts, for a variety of reasons. Maybe if you click these links, you'll find something you'll enjoy.
Classic Rock Defined - In which I made what I still think is a pretty good case for how to tell if music has earned the right to be called Classic Rock.
Why You Should Always Listen to Your Dad - A self-deprecating and slightly embarrassing moment from my past, dredged up for Father's Day.
Exploring the Gaga / Manson Parallel - Some pop-culture deconstruction with an admittedly snarky tone. A post that I felt was overlooked the first time around, mostly because it contains a few lines that I'm still pretty proud of, including one of my all-time favorites.
Integrity Test - One of those true school moments that I couldn't make up as fiction because it would seem contrived.
Digital Timepieces and the American Revolution - One of my favorite Summer Vacation storytelling moments.
Like vs. Love vs. Pity vs. Hate - One of my favorite school posts. I'd like to think that after reading this, civilians would be able to understand how and why teachers do the things we do.
The Demented Mind of a Math Teacher - A quick, true-life observation.
Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding - I've written quite a bit about my sister's death on Summer Vacation. I haven't mentioned as much about when I lost a student.
Vet Humor - I also wrote some about my dog Spencer when he was still with me; click on the "Dogs Are Awesome" label over on the right if you want to see more. This is one of my favorite memories of him on here since it tells a story that still makes me laugh.
Personal Grooming Shortcuts - Another self-deprecating moment from my past. This one is pretty recent.
There was one more post I almost included but didn't. I thought it was pretty funny but chose not to include here because it could make things a little uncomfortable in my daily life if some people didn't get the joke. If anyone is feeling up to an Easter Egg hunt, go searching and I'll tell you if you find it.
As for the links I included -- browse away, if you choose. See you at 4,000.
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