Sunday is October 1st! It’s funny to think that I began September in Norway — getting off a cruise boat in Trondheim on the morning of the 1st. That seems like a long time ago now, with school starting, and then my trip to Portland ME and Boston in between.
We have some fall decorations up. Well, they were mostly fall themed and then my daughter made them Halloween-themed. She likes her holidays!
I crossed two major personal to-dos off the list this week. I made it to the dentist, and I sent my accountant all the information for my business taxes (we always get the extension to October 15th). In the important-but-not-urgent category, I carved out some time to work on a potential (non-fiction) book idea. I love writing books so best to start moving along on this.
On the fiction front, my Summer Reads book club is talking through my novel, The Norwegian Secret to Enjoying Winter, today by Zoom. It’s been fun having people read through some older books — and now this newer (manuscript in progress) book. We covered Off the Clock, Juliet’s School of Possibilities, The Cortlandt Boys, and now this one.
On the podcasting front…I actually listened to the BOBW Fall Favorites episode twice. I know that sounds kind of ridiculous…but I am 100 percent the target audience for our podcast. So it kept me entertained in the car for a while this week (even though I do know what we said when we recorded it…). Before Breakfast featured five of my favorite writing tips, including “Last verse, like the first.” I often try to revisit the beginning of a work at the end. It doesn’t need to be elaborate, and summing things up explicitly reads a little much like a sixth grade essay (“in conclusion…”) but referencing something a second time, or revisiting an anecdote, or quoting the same person from the beginning, or even using some similar words can make a piece of writing feel far more coherent — and satisfying.
Speaking of writing…Elisabeth Frost (who comments here occasionally) had a blog malfunction earlier this summer that resulted in it disappearing, but the blog is back – under a new name, Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist. So please check that out!
Speaking of optimism…Theoretically our new treadmill arrives next week — we shall see if this gets me running more frequently. I’m running with a friend tomorrow and may this afternoon, but I haven’t run all week! (I did hike with a friend on Wednesday and worked out with my virtual trainer Thursday so it wasn’t all sloth.) My 16-year-old and I are running in a 5k on Thanksgiving. The treadmill was primarily by his request but I will likely use it too.
The new grocery store in town is already changing some of my thinking on time. I was pondering the logistics of procuring eggs and milk and then I realized I could just stop in on the way back from dropping off the 3-year-old (I’ve been doing that drop off this week) and it would be like a 5-10 minute undertaking. I parked the minivan at 8:56 and at 9:06 I was back in. Exciting! Especially since I didn’t just get milk and eggs and it somehow turned into a $45 trip. Oh well.
I won’t be spending October 1st in another country, but sort of in another time period (the PA Ren Faire…). It should be an adventure. Hope you have a good weekend!
Aww. Thanks for the PSA about my blog. What a shemozzle that has been, but it does feel good to have a fresh space and “start as I mean to go”. I fell into blogging as part of my Three Times A Week Is A Habit goal while working through TBT with you (which means the fact I blog is mostly thanks to you!) and – as evidenced by LOSING MY BLOG – I didn’t always make great choices since it was my first time trying to navigate hosting a website.
Re-launching with an incredible community already in place has been delightful.
I’ve abandoned my running goals this year. But I really should be using my treadmill desk attachment more. I spend most of my working hours on a laptop so there is no excuse. I bought the attachment, it works well, and the treadmill is literally five steps from my office. But do I use it? No! This is a perpetual “demerit” for me…
@Elisabeth – I don’t think I’d use a treadmill desk either! I guess when I’m running I want to be running, and sitting at my desk is a different matter…
I can highly recommend ‘All’s Faire in middle school’, a graphic novel by Victoria Jamieson to go along with your trip to the PA Ren Faire. I have loved all her novels.