September Begins

September always feels like a time of new beginning to me. Perhaps that's due to 22 years of academics? Or maybe it's because the weather cools some and my mind feels clearer at this time of year. It certainly helps me that my seasonal allergies also begin to wane. Also waning, or supposed to be waning, are the number of items that have been in my queue at work. And the bulk of my bathroom reno has also been wrapped up.

Whatever the reason, this September is beginning with a return to my writing. One that brings fresh eyes and the learnings of another summer season. In my 40th year, I feel like I know myself more than I ever had previously and there is still much about the world and my place in it to discover. I'm quite excited about it all!

My main goals going forward are:

1. Sparks

This is rather like, "Finish the thing." I have a plan to follow. I also have a different ending in mind.

2. Guitar

After performing some much needed maintenance, my major goal is to learn power chords as I have a somewhat immediate need for them. Then I'll continue with the rest of my learning.

3. Health and Fitness

I will soon have an overnight sleep study. I'm also awaiting allergy testing because I've spent too much time indoors this summer avoiding pollens. General fitness and skating are on the list. I'm targeting shedding 15 more pounds and strengthening my tendons and ligaments.

4. Cleaning

My home is in quite a state after all the reno work and attention needs to be paid here. I set myself up with a schedule. Now I just need to follow it. The following it part is the most challenging for me. It seems that something always comes up!

You can find my goals list here: https://trello.com/b/RM8yD3eq/rae-roy-general

2020 Vision

Mostly, I’ve been planning for the new year, but I discovered I know Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. It was a recollection under the influence that brought this to light. I also discovered I still suck at drawing, but I’m okay with that. I used to think I had to be good at everything, and I’ve realized that’s just not so. Some friends and I recently hit up a local board game pub. It was a pretty fun night. The first game was Balderdash and I was terrible at it. Because I was the writer in the group, some of my friends thought I should be more embarrassed about it and hide the fact that I don’t spend all my free time learning advanced vocabulary. But I’m not upset about it. Why? Two reasons: 1. I now know what I don’t know. 2. If one takes a close look at the top selling novels on the market, the level of the language used is not the level of many of the words in Balderdash. Not that I’m comparing my own work to those, but audience is what matters in writing. To me, it is far better to e...

Fortifying Friday - Rejection

Yesterday, I received my first rejection from an agent. It stung. It wasn't that it was bad. It was worded in a way that it may have even been personally written. Regardless, rejection never feels good unless you were secretly hoping to stay home and do nothing when a friend made plans with you. Then it feels great! I might be an introvert ;) Anyway, it hurts a bit extra when you have other things going on. Between the worries of the state of the world and being unemployed, it felt much like being kicked while I was already down. The agent said she couldn't connect with my book though she really wanted to. She also said not to take her rejection as any kind of sign that I should give up. It was nice as far as rejections go. So, I lay there for a bit. Then I let my friends know via social media. Several said that I had hit a milestone and I should try to collect as many as possible this year. Rejections, they said, were a badge of honour awarded for putting myself out there. See...

Thoughtful Thursday - Dental Access

I haven't made use of it yet as I discovered it only this week, but there are free dental screenings in Ottawa for people who have a low income. I'm not sure what happens at these things, but I imagine they're rather like the once or twice yearly visits we had in grade school from the health unit where they checked our teeth. Anyway, I thought I'd mention that in case anyone is in need. There is a schedule with the locations listed and I'm guessing it's hard to get there early enough to get seen, but I'll check it out soon. I've been using dental products that are supposed to repair and whiten. I'm unsure they are working, but I figured they were worth a try. Also, I hear if you add activated charcoal to your toothbrush before the toothpaste, it helps whiten too. It makes a hell of a mess, but I tried it. I think it might take a while to whiten, but my teeth are definitely cleaner, so I think it really does help with plaque. Activated charcoal is als...

Rae Roy

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