Day 1: Never-Nudes, Fruit, and Singing with My Eyes Closed

May 11, 2009 by

So today was my first day off in Operation “Get The Hell Away From Work So I Don’t Rip All My Hair Out.” Overall it was a great success. Now to appreciate this post, you should go back and read “An Ideal Day” to see my grand fantasy of how I’d like to spend my time during this week. I certainly couldn’t have it all, but I could do some of it and I did!

I didn’t get up at dawn, but I didn’t need to. Instead, I woke up around 8:15 fully rested. I took a hot shower and put on my yoga clothes. I meandered downstairs and found my favorite Yoga DVD. I blew off the dust it had collected and followed an almost nude Rodney Yee as he stretched his way into the day.

I sort of wish Rodney Yee tucked me in at night. Hes got such a soothing voice.

I sort of wish Rodney Yee tucked me in at night. He's got such a soothing voice.

Seeing him in his little bikini bottom made me think about Never-Nudes, and during my downward dog I chuckled, which didn’t do much to relax my belly toward the earth.

After floor time with the cats, which is essentially what my yoga turned out to be, I went right toward the fruit. Yesterday at the grocery store I bought every fruit imaginable so I could get some variety all week. To start things off, I opted for melon. That along with an English Muffin and I had quite a tasty breakfast. Sadly, I didn’t read anything while eating, but I did listen to music, so that should count for some sort of cultural calories.

Im a melon girl.

I'm a melon girl.

Breakfast, check. Coffee, check. I was then ready to write. In my two-bedroom townhouse, I don’t have a home office, but I do have a cute little desk with a rather comfortable chair. So I planted myself at it and started the writing process. For three hours I worked on my book, reviewing and writing. I managed somehow to stay off of Twitter and Facebook, and got a lot done.

The corner office.

The corner office.

Before I knew it, my stomach grumbled and it was time for lunch. Fortunately, I had purchased some of the ingredients required for the grilled chicken salad of my dream day. I put it all together and it was better than I had expected it to be.

Chicken from the pre-marinaded Archer Farms selection at Target.

Chicken from the pre-marinaded Archer Farms selection at Target.

Then it was back to work. I started doing some major outlining of my novel with a program called StoryMill. It’s this software that helps you outline, organize scenes, keep characters lists, location descriptions, etc. I’ve only recently started using it for those purposes. I might end up buying it.

StoryMill in action.

StoryMill in action.

I spent a little time on the couch listening to music and trying to dream up what would happen next in my story and that was pleasant. There may have been a little singing, but only the cats could tell you for sure. And that’s pretty much how my first day went.

Sadly, there was no cute café, writers group, or secret forest path. But there will be a book and bath in my evening.

Tomorrow — I’m using the first half of my day to run some errands, pay bills, and do some cleaning. Then I’ll be back on the computer. So tune in tomorrow and I’ll show you just how that turned out too.

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An Ideal Day

May 6, 2009 by

For the past month or so, I’ve been thinking about taking off an entire week of work to get a much-needed break, but to also focus on writing my novel. I have loads of vacation time, but not a lot of money, so I thought this little “staycation” as they now call it could be really beneficial. So I booked it and starting next Monday I’ll have the week off. On Thursday afternoon, I’ll have to travel about two hours to go to my brother’s wedding, which will be a great way to end my week.

So, now that I have a plan, I’ve been fantasizing about what I will do with my time. A part of me thinks I should treat it as a write-from-home workday, so I can role-play what that would be like regularly. Another part of me thinks I should just relax and take it easy.

Either way, they are somewhat one in the same in my mind. My fantasies include four days of the following…

Wake up at dawn, and do some amazing yoga, where I’m already completely flexible and able. Preferably, this yoga would be done on some sort of veranda with the sunrise within my gaze. I would be a master at it and wouldn’t require the assistance of instruction.

yoga2

Then, I would eat a delicious fresh fruit salad. For whatever reason, when I picture this time off I think of fresh fruit. I have no idea why. But there would be lots of it. Ideally, I would eat this on some patio while reading a newspaper that I have some sort of subscription to. Or maybe a book.

fruit-salad

Around 8:30, I would wander into my amazing home office that has an incredibly comfortable office chair, and get to work writing. The words would come out easily and my manuscript would just flow, but not too much. Every paragraph would be tight and meaningful of course.

abranowicz_office

Then around lunchtime, I would make myself a delicious grilled chicken salad. All organic of course, and drink peach iced tea.

grilledchickensalad

After lunch, I’d pack up my laptop and head down to my favorite little café, where I’d enjoy some sort of latte and continue writing.

le-petit-cafe

Then at 3:00, my really amazing writing group would converge at the local bookstore, which of course, would be right next to the café. We’d talk about our writing, review each other’s work and talk about books in general.

poets-and-writers-group3

Around 5, I’d head home on foot, by way of a beautiful (secret) forest path that sits between my cute café and my (very nice) house.

cml_walks_5lg

Once home…

samuel_cobb_house_-_portland_oregon

I’d make dinner for myself, probably something along the lines of a stir fry dish and a glass of pinot grigio. After dinner, I would maybe do some more editing and then retire with a big giant book. After a long bath, I’d fall asleep peacefully around 10 p.m. in matching pajamas (I have this strange theory that if your pajama bottoms and top match, you’ve got your life together).

42-17215936

And then I’d be so well rested to do it all again the next day, with some variations to keep things fresh.

But let’s be honest, chances are that I’ll sleep in until 10, grab a bagel, sit on the couch with my laptop, write if I’m lucky, eat grilled cheese, take a nap, watch Ellen, have some cookies, come up with something for dinner, do laundry, watch primetime TV while tweeting and reading blogs, and somehow squeeze a shower in there, before starting it all over again.

But a girl can dream, right?

By the way, if any of these pictures belong to you, I’m sorry. But you should know that I’m incredibly jealous!

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May 04 2009: Sketch It Out

May 4, 2009 by

I’m making some serious progress on my novel, but because I’ve written it a bit backwards I’m not working on the beginning of it. I had to sketch out exactly and get feedback from a friend about how I should structure it. It turned out to be really helpful. I’m probably about 70% done with my first draft.

Just a glimpse of the main structure.

Just a glimpse of the main structure.

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Apr 30 2009: Good In Bed

Apr 30, 2009 by

Tonight I finished reading Jennifer Weiner’s Good In Bed. For years, I had picked it up at bookstores, but always felt sad that the main character was fat and that her boyfriend wrote a column about it. I thought that it would hit too close to home with my own weight issues, but after reading a recent writer’s adoration about this book I decided to be brave, and I’m so glad I did. It was heartwarming, sad, and hysterical all at the same time. I have huge respect for Jennifer Weiner and her writing. I can only hope that my novel will be as entertaining as this one.

When a book goes by too fast, you know its good.

When a book goes by too fast, you know it's good.

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Apr 20 2009: Vision Boards

Apr 20, 2009 by

Well today was a day that meant a lot of different things to a lot of people. First, it was the 10 year anniversary of the Columbine shootings, which continues to emotionally impact my community. It was also the day to celebrate marijuana, which also impacts my community in lots of different ways. Once again people came from all over to get stoned on the Norlin quad. It’s always an interesting day to work on campus, and usually leads to hair-pulling traffic problems when you’re trying to leave at the end of your work day. Both events in a weird way are about celebrating and cherishing life. I didn’t mark either occasion in any significant way, but I did take a minute to look at my vision boards. These boards are much more powerful than I ever imagined them to be, particularly the work/career/creativity board. Writing my novel continues to be rewarding and wonderful, and I can’t help but credit this little board for planting a seed in my mind.

All of the boards have made an impact in my life.

All of the boards have made an impact in my life.

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