As the editor of a newspaper, not to mention a busy mom, Rachelle Gardner's post resonated with me today. Curious about email etiquette? Check it out:
Your Email Might Be Somebody’s Last Straw | Rachelle Gardner
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Thursday, January 05, 2012
Christmas Dreams
The following was written December 25, 2011:
Merry Christmas!
Christmas Day seems like an odd time to pick back up on this blog, but I have a couple of good reasons for doing so tonight.
The first is that I’m not at home. I’m in Las Vegas visiting my in-laws for the holiday, and right now I’m trapped in our borrowed townhouse with a sleeping toddler while the merrymaking happens elsewhere.
The second is that, as I was leaving Uncle Tony and Aunt Mary’s house, my husband’s cousin mentioned that the label on a jar of jam made Uncle Tony think I was on the web.
“I am online,” I said, “just not for jam.”
Then, of course, I explained about my blog. Then I had to admit how long it had been since I’d posted anything. And then, of course, I actually thought about how long it had been since I’d posted anything. Or written anything. Or done much of anything at all with my freelance career. And I felt guilty.
So, I have motive and opportunity. That’s why I’m writing a blog post on Christmas night, even knowing I won’t be able to post it until I get near a wireless connection.
It’s not that I haven’t been doing anything. I have a three-year-old daughter and a four-month-old son, either of which would consume a big chunk of any day. I’m still on church council. I still work two days a week at the local newspaper. We still have a gelato business. It’s the holiday season, so I’ve been shopping and planning and baking whenever those other activities allowed. Yet something was missing. I only vaguely realized it until I had a random conversation about jam (and conserves and marmalade, but that’s not really important right now). Writing is a part of my life, a part of who I am, but I'd more or less given it up.
Unnecessary guilt is always bad. (There’s a theological discussion about what guilt might be necessary, but I’ll not get into it right now.) Guilt can be a good motivator, though. Tonight is caused me to tuck my girl into bed and then sit down and draft out an article idea I’ve had in my back pocket since September. It felt good. Yes, it was crappy and unfocused but, darn it, it felt good.
We all have dreams. For you, that dream may or may not be to write. It doesn’t matter. Sometimes life gets in the way and we place those dreams aside. When we do that to ourselves, we can feel guilt. It can be destructive, debilitating. Or, it can make us get off our rears and realize our dreams, if only a few steps at a time.
That’s a lot of rambling for a small point. This Christmas and into the new year, give yourself a gift. Give yourself the gift of a dream realized, one day at a time.
Happy 2012!
Merry Christmas!
Christmas Day seems like an odd time to pick back up on this blog, but I have a couple of good reasons for doing so tonight.
The first is that I’m not at home. I’m in Las Vegas visiting my in-laws for the holiday, and right now I’m trapped in our borrowed townhouse with a sleeping toddler while the merrymaking happens elsewhere.
The second is that, as I was leaving Uncle Tony and Aunt Mary’s house, my husband’s cousin mentioned that the label on a jar of jam made Uncle Tony think I was on the web.
“I am online,” I said, “just not for jam.”
Then, of course, I explained about my blog. Then I had to admit how long it had been since I’d posted anything. And then, of course, I actually thought about how long it had been since I’d posted anything. Or written anything. Or done much of anything at all with my freelance career. And I felt guilty.
So, I have motive and opportunity. That’s why I’m writing a blog post on Christmas night, even knowing I won’t be able to post it until I get near a wireless connection.
It’s not that I haven’t been doing anything. I have a three-year-old daughter and a four-month-old son, either of which would consume a big chunk of any day. I’m still on church council. I still work two days a week at the local newspaper. We still have a gelato business. It’s the holiday season, so I’ve been shopping and planning and baking whenever those other activities allowed. Yet something was missing. I only vaguely realized it until I had a random conversation about jam (and conserves and marmalade, but that’s not really important right now). Writing is a part of my life, a part of who I am, but I'd more or less given it up.
Unnecessary guilt is always bad. (There’s a theological discussion about what guilt might be necessary, but I’ll not get into it right now.) Guilt can be a good motivator, though. Tonight is caused me to tuck my girl into bed and then sit down and draft out an article idea I’ve had in my back pocket since September. It felt good. Yes, it was crappy and unfocused but, darn it, it felt good.
We all have dreams. For you, that dream may or may not be to write. It doesn’t matter. Sometimes life gets in the way and we place those dreams aside. When we do that to ourselves, we can feel guilt. It can be destructive, debilitating. Or, it can make us get off our rears and realize our dreams, if only a few steps at a time.
That’s a lot of rambling for a small point. This Christmas and into the new year, give yourself a gift. Give yourself the gift of a dream realized, one day at a time.
Happy 2012!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Where I've Been
I know, it's been months since I posted anything on this blog. Those who follow regularly or who friend me on Facebook will have some idea of what happened. For everyone else, here's the newspaper version.
Frank Joseph Di Salvo II
Carmelo and Andrea Di Salvo of Heppner announce the birth of a son, Frank Joseph. Frank was born at Good Shepherd Hospital in Hermiston at 3:06 p.m. on Sunday, August 21, 2011. He weighed eight pounds and was 21 and a quarter inches long.
Frank joins older sister, Moira, age three. Grandparents are Frank and Pam Di Salvo of Cheektowaga, NY; Lucille Di Salvo of Buffalo, NY; and Dexter and Corinne Miles of Heppner.
New baby and big sister probably won't allow for a regular blog schedule for some time to come, but I'll get back to posting as I'm able!
Frank Joseph Di Salvo II
Carmelo and Andrea Di Salvo of Heppner announce the birth of a son, Frank Joseph. Frank was born at Good Shepherd Hospital in Hermiston at 3:06 p.m. on Sunday, August 21, 2011. He weighed eight pounds and was 21 and a quarter inches long.
Frank joins older sister, Moira, age three. Grandparents are Frank and Pam Di Salvo of Cheektowaga, NY; Lucille Di Salvo of Buffalo, NY; and Dexter and Corinne Miles of Heppner.
New baby and big sister probably won't allow for a regular blog schedule for some time to come, but I'll get back to posting as I'm able!
Saturday, May 07, 2011
Wednesday Update on...Saturday -- 5/7/11
Oops, looks like some more days got away from me somewhere.
Well, it was another week of no fiction writing...only news, news, news.
I got smart after having to stay at the paper till 6:30 last Tuesday. This week I planned ahead, checked emails from home, and did an interview on Saturday. I also drafted the article on Saturday. Sure, doing it off the clock basically meant I didn't get paid for it. I gave myself a byline for the article and photo, though, and got out by five both Monday and Tuesday. I call that progress! I also think the article was a higher quality than it would have been if I'd been writing it during the deadline crunch. As it stands, it's a piece on which I'm happy to have my byline for the world to see. (And, since layout is also my job, it got placed above the fold on page one...heh heh heh...)
The down side of the week is that WRITERS' Journal posted the results for their Science-Fiction/Fantasy contest. I didn't make the cut, not even as an honorable mention. Time to take another look at Baggage Claim and then pick the next market to assail.
Writer's group on Tuesday was good! Only three of us showed--Pat, Leland and myself--but that made for a more intimate, productive session. We finally seem to be hitting our stride as a group. Now I need to make sure I start writing something to have critiqued every week; that's surely the difficult part right now.
My cold and cough continue to linger, as does Baby M's. Her ear is still inflamed, even after two rounds of antibiotics. I have an upper respiratory infection that's making life miserable and for which I can do nothing except use a Neti Pot. Other than that, life is not so bad.
There's my news. Happy, um, Saturday!
Currently reading Shadowmarch, Volume 1 of the four-book Shadowmarch trilogy (yeah, you read that right; that's a Tad Williams trilogy for you). I've read both this and Volume 2, Shadowplay, before. This second read-through is a refresher before tackling the final two books, which were finally released. Seven- to eight-hundred-page books, but I'm willing to immerse myself in them again. 'Nuf said.
(By the way, this set is classified not just as fantasy, but as cyber-punk. I suppose that's related in some way to steam punk. Can anyone tell me what in earth those two genres are? Time for more research reading!)
Well, it was another week of no fiction writing...only news, news, news.
I got smart after having to stay at the paper till 6:30 last Tuesday. This week I planned ahead, checked emails from home, and did an interview on Saturday. I also drafted the article on Saturday. Sure, doing it off the clock basically meant I didn't get paid for it. I gave myself a byline for the article and photo, though, and got out by five both Monday and Tuesday. I call that progress! I also think the article was a higher quality than it would have been if I'd been writing it during the deadline crunch. As it stands, it's a piece on which I'm happy to have my byline for the world to see. (And, since layout is also my job, it got placed above the fold on page one...heh heh heh...)
The down side of the week is that WRITERS' Journal posted the results for their Science-Fiction/Fantasy contest. I didn't make the cut, not even as an honorable mention. Time to take another look at Baggage Claim and then pick the next market to assail.
Writer's group on Tuesday was good! Only three of us showed--Pat, Leland and myself--but that made for a more intimate, productive session. We finally seem to be hitting our stride as a group. Now I need to make sure I start writing something to have critiqued every week; that's surely the difficult part right now.
My cold and cough continue to linger, as does Baby M's. Her ear is still inflamed, even after two rounds of antibiotics. I have an upper respiratory infection that's making life miserable and for which I can do nothing except use a Neti Pot. Other than that, life is not so bad.
There's my news. Happy, um, Saturday!
Currently reading Shadowmarch, Volume 1 of the four-book Shadowmarch trilogy (yeah, you read that right; that's a Tad Williams trilogy for you). I've read both this and Volume 2, Shadowplay, before. This second read-through is a refresher before tackling the final two books, which were finally released. Seven- to eight-hundred-page books, but I'm willing to immerse myself in them again. 'Nuf said.
(By the way, this set is classified not just as fantasy, but as cyber-punk. I suppose that's related in some way to steam punk. Can anyone tell me what in earth those two genres are? Time for more research reading!)
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