“Community”
Family, neighbors,
come together to foster
sense of belonging.
Steve D
Category: On Life
Posts about family, work, life, existential dread… the usual.
Haiku Sunday – Mark
“Mark”
Scratch of pen or blade,
left to stain, or sting, the skin,
and be remembered.
Steve D
May Write Day: 14 Days In
April was a busy month. We had weekend plans three weeks in a row for various reasons and did a bit of traveling for family engagements. I’ve also been dealing with some family medical issues, so a lot of my hobbies/routines took a back seat, for better or worse.
We’re already halfway into May, and I can’t say much has changed to this point.
Last Month’s Goals
- Finish three books.
- Small acts – Exercise.
- Small acts – Writing.
- Continue daily meditation/affirmation.
Finish three books?
I finished one book in April, the previously reviewed A Closed and Common Orbit. Otherwise, I’ve continued picking my way through two longer reads.
Manda Scott’s Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle is a fantastic historical fiction, and I’m relishing every moment of it. I’ve found myself rewinding (the audiobook) to ensure I don’t miss any sections.
I’ve also been watching Andor season 2 after binging a season 1 rewatch in about a week. There is tons of great analysis about Andor happening all over the place, so I will just say that this is one of my favorite shows of all time. No question.
Exercise?
2 decent workout sessions, 4 shorter workout sessions. I feel like I’ve been stretching fairly consistently, although I haven’t been tracking that. Stretching is now as much about working stiffness out of my legs as anything else, so it’s much more of a habit.
I’m finding ways to get different types of exercise, like chopping wood/moving logs, yard work, playing soccer with my sons, etc. I definitely enjoy doing activities like that outside, so the exercise is just a bonus.
Writing?
I didn’t do much writing in April, and my posts on this site give it away: four total in April, and this is my first post for May. Part of it is that I haven’t had any new book reviews to post.
I’ve been thinking about my duology a bit recently, as a piece that I feel deserves to see the light of day. I just haven’t come up with a publishing plan. At this point, I’d like to have the goal in sight as I’m working on it, and that just hasn’t been a priority. So, I will return to it at some point. I’m just not sure when right now.
Meditation/affirmation?
I fell off this routine quite a bit in April for no real reason at all. I’d like to get back to it, so I’ll start tonight.
Goals for… the second half of May
- Finish three books.
- Current reads: Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott; and We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- I will definitely continue with the Boudica series once I finish book 1. I’ll also pick up something shorter and more digestible in addition once I finish We Were Eight years in Power.
- Small acts – Exercise. Bare minimum: stretch and meditate every day, and if I do any of the following in addition, that’s ideal.
- Bronze medal: short yoga session
- Silver medal: longer yoga session and/or resistance training at home
- Gold medal: 1-hour gym session
- Small acts – Writing. Bare minimum: get back to posting here every Wednesday and Sunday, and not just haiku. Achieving some combination of the following throughout a given week is ideal.
- Bronze medal: basic admin for this site, my email, my imprint, etc.
- Silver medal: take notes, or organize older notes
- Gold medal: Revise/rewrite my duology in, at least a 15-minute focus session
- Continue daily meditation/affirmation.
Haiku Wednesday – Reckoning
“Reckoning”
What keeps you in place,
reticence? Or do you wait,
for the bell to toll?
Steve D
April Write Day: Change
I don’t remember much about March except that it was stressful. Lots of family obligations. A long weekend trip for my grandmother’s funeral. And some work things to keep me occupied.
My grandmother’s funeral was bittersweet in the appropriate way. We saw a lot of family we don’t see very often, and the entire service provided some much-needed closure on her years-long battle with Alzheimer’s.
The drive back from the Midwest was like seeing the transition from winter to spring in real time. As we crossed the Appalachians, the grass became greener, and more trees sprouted buds. In the Maryland piedmont we found many trees with new leaves, and plenty of undergrowth. I’m glad spring is here.
Last Month’s Goals
- Finish three books.
- Small acts – Exercise.
- Small acts – Writing.
- Continue daily meditation/affirmation.
Finish three books?
Yes! I finished Aspects by John M. Ford, and then powered through audiobook versions of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers.
Beginning with Aspects for my first Ford read is likely not ideal, since he passed away before finishing the first of what was evidently planned to be an extensive series. But, I will definitely be returning to his other earlier works for a voice and style that I really can’t compare to anything I’ve read in the fantasy realm.
Chambers’s first book in the Wayfarer series, my review of which you can find linked above, was delightful. The second book was different in a way I wasn’t quite prepared for, and I’ll get into that more in a review next week.
I’ll return to this series. I’m just taking a bit of a break with some reading I’m greatly enjoying. See below.
Small acts – exercise?
I feel like I was pretty active in March, which is always a good place to start. I went to the gym once for a 1-hour session and had seven shorter sessions of resistance training or yoga. I also swam a bit with the kids and stretched nearly every day; I just didn’t track those activities.
I’m definitely still hitting spells where I don’t feel like I have time for much aside from stretching for two to three days at a time. However, I think I’m getting better at taking the time I have and dedicating it to more intense workouts, even if it’s only once or twice per week. So that’s something.
Small acts – writing?
Meh. I posted here four times total in March. If I had stuck to my Wednesday/Sunday schedule, I should have posted nine times.
I haven’t done any story writing. One interesting development is that I don’t feel guilty about it. It’s not that I don’t care about it. I’m just not kicking myself for being preoccupied with so many other things. I know I want to make more time for it, so that in itself feels good.
Meditate & affirmate daily?
No, but I’ve become more consistent, and it’s definitely helping.
Goals for April
- Finish three books.
- Current reads: Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott; and We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- These are both hefty enough that I have no particular sights set on my next read. If Scott’s historical fiction is as deeply intricate as the first few chapters indicate, I may just continue with the Boudica series.
- Small acts – Exercise. Bare minimum: stretch and meditate every day, and if I do any of the following in addition, that’s ideal.
- Bronze medal: short yoga session
- Silver medal: longer yoga session and/or resistance training at home
- Gold medal: 1-hour gym session
- Small acts – Writing. Bare minimum: get back to posting here every Wednesday and Sunday, and not just haiku. Achieving some combination of the following throughout a given week is ideal.
- Bronze medal: basic admin for this site, my email, my imprint, etc.
- Silver medal: take notes, or organize older notes
- Gold medal: Revise/rewrite my duology in, at least a 15-minute focus session
- Continue daily meditation/affirmation.
Haiku Sunday – Rife
“Rife”
Furious orders,
known policies dismantled,
just to sow chaos.
Steve D
Haiku Sunday – Hole
“Hole”
Cozy wood panels,
cozy wood-burning fire,
and afternoon naps.
Steve D
March Write Day: On a Track
February came with the flu, hitting myself, my wife, and our oldest in rapid succession. I feel like I lost an entire week due to drained energy, no appetite, and just trying to keep our household afloat. I definitely lost a couple pounds.
We’ve been preoccupied with a lot of external priorities. A theme and focal point that has crystallized for me over the last couple weeks is resilience. I can’t control much of what happens around our family, but I can control our response to it or at least guide it.
I’m looking into ways to build resilience, in our household, in our friends and family connections, and in our community.
As expected, these thoughts and anxieties and external pressures have taken some of my focus, and that will need to continue.
Last Month’s Goals
- Finish three books.
- Small acts – Exercise.
- Small acts – Writing.
Finish three books?
I read two books in February, and one was a doozy. I finally, after several months, finished reading The World of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin and others — Martin’s encyclopedic history of his fantasy universe, written as if by a Maester of the Citadel.
I’m not going to review this book; if you thoroughly enjoy A Game of Thrones and other attendant books in that universe, and you love world-building, then you’ll find this an interesting read. My one gripe is that there was no detailed map of Essos, despite there being about 75 pages on the civilizations of that continent.
I also read the comic collection of Star Wars: The High Republic, Phase II, Vol. 1: Balance of the Force. I happened to pick it up in a local bookshop one weekend, and I knew it would make an easy read for my monthly goal. It was solid. I haven’t read anything else in the Star Wars: The High Republic series, despite there being at least three “phases” of comics and several novels. I think I’ll continue with Phase II, at least.
Small acts – exercise?
February was a slow month for exercise, what with the aforementioned illness. I recorded exercising about three times, although I definitely stretch more consistently than that.
I’m already off to a much better start for March.
Small acts – writing?
I didn’t do any note-taking or writing/revising of my current novellas-in-progress.
I did quite a lot of reading of emails and articles following everything that’s happening in the US — leading me to focus more on resilience.
I posted three times on this site, after getting it back up and running, but again, illness. I’m once again off to a solid start for March.
Goals for March
- Finish three books.
- Current reads: Aspects by John M. Ford; and We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Likely next reads: A friend at work just finished reading The Hobbit for the first time, and we’ve been talking about it, so it feels like time to pick it up again.
- Small acts – Exercise. Bare minimum: stretch and meditate every day, and if I do any of the following in addition, that’s ideal.
- Bronze medal: short yoga session
- Silver medal: longer yoga session and/or resistance training at home
- Gold medal: 1-hour gym session
- Small acts – Writing. Bare minimum: get back to posting here every Wednesday and Sunday, and not just haiku. Achieving some combination of the following throughout a given week is ideal.
- Bronze medal: basic admin for this site, my email, my imprint, etc.
- Silver medal: take notes, or organize older notes
- Gold medal: Revise/rewrite my duology in, at least a 15-minute focus session
- Continue daily meditation/affirmation. I’ve started doing this very recently. I have attempted a meditation routine in the past, but it has been quite a while since I’ve tried to stick to a daily routine. I think t really does help put things in perspective and center my mood.
Steve D
Haiku Sunday – Up
“Up”
Warm sunny morning,
early bagel excursion,
hints of winter’s end.
Steve D
February Write Day: Smaller Steps
Well, January has been… interesting. Being in the U.S., there has basically been a near-constant barrage of infuriating news/rumors ever since the inauguration, and it’s been tough to keep up with and also maintain my own sanity.
I also just discovered that someone basically stole my domain, I assume to siphon SEO traffic off it — this is the only logical reason I can think of, and it’s not at all comforting.
So, if you’ve been trying to access my website for the last month and hitting a DNS error, I deeply apologize. This is a blatant testament to the fact that I have not put much thought into this endeavor in recent weeks. I was able to access my WordPress site without issue, and had no need to visit my own website to check that it was working properly.
Ugh. Anyway.
I’ve been trying to get a better handle on balancing all the various priorities in my life. I think the last few months have felt like trying to scoop up sand with my bare hands, only for the grains to sift through my fingers, so I’m never able to do as much as I want or need to.
My brain is cluttered, and I end up vacillating on what my “real” priority should be in any given moment.
Focusing on Small Acts
I’m trying to focus only on small acts — across the board in my life. I have an incredible skill/curse of always being able to see the forest for the trees, but sometimes feeling overwhelmed by it.
Writing. Exercise. Family. Community engagement. I think about these things in terms of grand gestures and statements, rather than small acts I can build routines and habits around. I need to remember how to play the long game again.
So, that will be a focus of this monthly series for some time.
Last Month’s Goals
- Read three books.
- All the routines, but more.
Read three books?
Just one – Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller, for which I have yet to write a full review. I also made progress on three others and ended up finishing one of those right at the beginning of February.
It is far too early to be concerned about my GoodReads Challenge of 24 books. Small acts!
All the routine, but more?
I think I’ve done alright on the exercise front, where I’ve managed to intentionally do some kind of physical activity and track my progress several times per week. What I haven’t done is get back to the gym in any meaningful way — maybe once in January.
I haven’t made much progress on the writing front, either, but I have definitely been thinking about it more and more. I used to think about my fantasy universe, Úr’Dan, every single day, turning over story details and ideas in my head constantly.
While I have managed to think about my writing more in recent weeks, it’s been more in the vein of how I want to publish and to what extent I want to market my books. At this point, I just need to get back to writing, and I think I’m in a better place to do that now than I have been in about a year.
Goals for February
- Finish three books. I’ve already got one down, since I finished the massive encyclopedia of The World of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin. This took me several months to read in little sections at a time, so I wish I could count that effort, but I’m at least 1/3 of the way through my February goal.
- Current reads: Aspects by John M. Ford; and We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy, by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
- I’m not far enough in either of those to really think about my next reads yet. I may pick up a paperback of The Hobbit, just for comfort. It’s my all-time favorite.
- Small acts – Exercise. Bare minimum: stretch and meditate every day, and if I do any of the following in addition, that’s ideal.
- Bronze medal: short yoga session
- Silver medal: longer yoga session and/or resistance training at home
- Gold medal: 1-hour gym session
- Small acts – Writing. Bare minimum: get back to posting here every Wednesday and Sunday, and not just haiku. Achieving some combination of the following throughout a given week is ideal.
- Bronze medal: basic admin for this site, my email, my imprint, etc.
- Silver medal: take notes, or organize older notes
- Gold medal: Revise/rewrite my duology in, at least a 15-minute focus session
I want to make progress. I just need to narrow my mental energy to the here-and-now.
Steve D
Evening Satellite Publishing 