Category: On Life

Posts about family, work, life, existential dread… the usual.

July Write Day: Carry On

On By Steven D'AdamoIn Fantasy, On LifeLeave a comment

Only when I looked for my last goals post to prep this one did I realize I didn’t do any goals post for June. It’s been a busy few months with work (always busy), family matters, the school year ending, and our first proper vacation this year. So, apologies.

But, we’re here now.

Last Month’s (May/June) Goals

  1. Finish three books.
  2. Small acts – Exercise. Bare minimum: stretch and meditate every day, and if I do any of the following in addition, that’s ideal.
  3. 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.
  4. Continue daily meditation/affirmation.

Finish three books?

Alright, I said May/June at the top, but I only finished three books total between those two months. I completed Dreaming the Eagle and Dreaming the Bull, books one and two of Manda Scott’s excellent Boudica series. I’ve already reviewed the first and have yet to post the review for the second.

I also finished We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I did not conduct a full review of this book, and will not, because it deserves every reader’s attention as one man’s (the author’s) experience and work on racial injustice in the United States during the eight years of Obama’s presidency. Even though the featured essays were originally printed in 2008-2016, and the volume was published in 2018, it is entirely relevant today and will continue to be so.

Small acts, exercise?

I exercised seven times in May and five times in June. I did not explicitly count a ton of activity during the week we spent at the beach. I made it a point to be active each day, running around with my boys, swimming in the waves or the pool, and just all around enjoying active playtime with them.

I haven’t been to the gym in a few months, and I still find it hard to find the motivation, even as I try to exercise at home a few times per week.

Small acts, writing?

As you can see, I have not been specifically active in the writing space of late. However, I had a bit of a writing revelation recently. Most of this year, I’ve been agonizing over what to do with my duology, whether it’s “ready” to pursue for publication or not.

I kept thinking that just by getting it out there, I’d figure out what comes next. But there are more stories I want to tell around these characters, and I already have a framework to do so as a third novella.

So while I don’t have a whole writing plan laid out, I have at least made the mental decision to write a third part, make this a trilogy, and round it out in a more fulfilling way. When and in what form publication comes is a question for a future day.

Goals for July

  1. Finish three books.
    • Current reads: Boudica: Dreaming the Bull by Manda Scott; A Promised Land by Barack Obama; and Star Wars Legends Collection: The Empire, Vol. 1 by John Ostrander, Randy Stradley, W. Haden Blackman, et al.;
    • Likely next reads: I’m halfway through book three of the Boudica series and will definitely pick up book four. This series is excellent.
  2. Small acts – Exercise. Bare minimum: stretch and meditate every day, and if I do any of the following in addition, that’s ideal.
  3. 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.
  4. Continue daily meditation/affirmation.

Steve D

May Write Day: 14 Days In

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On LifeLeave a comment

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

  1. Finish three books.
  2. Small acts – Exercise.
  3. Small acts – Writing.
  4. 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. Continue daily meditation/affirmation.

April Write Day: Change

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On LifeLeave a comment

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

  1. Finish three books.
  2. Small acts – Exercise.
  3. Small acts – Writing.
  4. 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. Continue daily meditation/affirmation.