And On The Third Day She Wrote

That's what I woke up thinking yesterday.

It was my third day in a row off from work. "I know," I want to tell you. "Yes, I did say that not too long ago. Yes, I know! Isn't it fabulous? Again, yes." And I'd smile and you'd say congratulations and we'd both smile.

Then what?

Oh, right. It was another day off - three in a row.

The first day I had acupuncture and it was great. It was so helpful and my practitioner - who is also a naturopathic physician - is excellent and the acupuncture really helped. A lot. I was feeling good - though, admittedly, just a little spacey. The good kind of spacey; in post-acupuncture-Qi-flowing kind of spacey. Did a couple errands. Went home and tried to make a little art (unsuccessful, but I tried). Did some feedback for students and writers online. Later called to make a therapy appointment for Friday; if possible; but I was fine until the regularly scheduled appointment next week.

The next day I got a call from and an appointment with my therapist. Yay! It was good. Then I took a trip to Trader Joe's to get lunch and dinner for the zoo concert: Indigo Girls. That took a long time and I wanted to get up there early to get parking. Which I did. Parked. Decided to become a zoo member: tax deductible, free admission for a year (including early for the concerts, to get in line early for a better seat) free parking. Walked the long way around and stood in line for another hour. Got great and I mean *great* seats, squeezed in with another interpreter, her sister, her friends and acquaintances. And the concert? Awesome - really. I would say that Indigo Girls are high on the list of Great In Person Musicians - and not all musicians are. I had a lot of laughs, good blueberries & peas & cheddar-gruyere & Akmak crackers, shared a bottle of wine. And wonderful music - Amy and Emily were amazing, I loved listening to them, was inspired by them, was soothed by them. The opening band, Mountain Moriah, was really good, too.And Indigo Girls' violinist - wow; she was amazing, when she played it went straight to my cells. The combination of Indigo Girls and their violinist (whose name I don't remember, unfortunately) - magic. (Below is a video from their Lowell MA concert  on 6/23/11 of a new song on the updoming new CD.)




Then day three arrived. I thought I might go for a bike ride, but I'd stayed up late writing, editing. And the day was already under way. And I realized that I had this very busy week -- right after I had the thought that "On The Third Day I Wrote." Then the realization hit me that the first thing I needed to do was go to the store to buy some food to chop and prep and cook for the week because, in this very busy week, if I didn't do it on this, the third day, I'd be eating out for most of my meals = expensive and not very healthy most of the time due to scheduling. While at the store I received a page that we were, indeed, meeting up with my partner's son and his fiancee to celebrate his birthday (which is actually on Monday); which was totally great and I was thrilled. So - I'd already dismissed the bike ride; but walking around Costco for 3+ hours would be good exercise, though I could accomplish as much in 30-45 minutes on the bike or an hour of plain walking, probably - but it was movement, right? So I also realized that writing wasn't going to happen, because my first job on My Monday (Sunday) was very early, which meant early to bed, yada yada. No worries.

So - On The Third Day I ... went grocery shopping. Chopped two kinds of cabbages. Boiled eggs. Thawed an Ahi steak. Chopped some cheese. Divided up the blueberried: some for her and some for me so we each get some and don't accuse the other of eating them all (either accusation could be true). Washed and sorted spinach leaves and froze some. Consolidated flax seeds and ground a small container-ful for the week. Cooked the broccolini (one bag; left one bag raw). Stacked the case of soy milk and the half case of chicken stock (easy soup: organic chicken or veggie stock, fresh or fresh-frozen spinach leaves, optional kernel corn or diced peppers or broccoli or other vegetable - add protein of your choice (chicken, tuna, tofu, beans - whatever); heat and enjoy).

I didn't write.

But today between jobs, I did write. I put down a really good start to one of the missing chapters. Then tomorrow when I meet up with a writing friend for a couple of hours, I will transpose the handwritten beginnings into the computer and, perhaps, finish that first draft. And later tonight, after work, I was writing an email about how I couldn't seem to write this other chapter and the beginnings of that just poured out.

So, maybe I did need to gather the vegetables and the stocks and the soy milk and cook up some fuel because I would have spent that time today chasing after food at the store or the healthiest place I could find and get in and out of quickly. Instead of writing.

Today, I wrote.

Even cooking and cutting vegetables can aid a writer. Yes, it can.

And so can time off.
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Razor's Edge: Friday, May 6

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Today's theme is bicycles.

This is my newest activity outlet. I've been thinking about it for a couple of years - but I frequently think of something new to do, to achieve, to try. And sometimes I have to draw the line, cut something out, or postpone the experiment. Bicycling was one of those. I didn't have a bike any more, was doing distance walking, dragon boating, working, teaching, writing, and more and - no time, especially since I didn't have the equipment.

I have a friend who bought a bicycle a couple of years ago. Due to some circumstance she hasn't been on her bike in a while and I asked if I could borrow it.

She said "yes." The first step was getting to her house at a time we were both available; since we work the true opposite ends of the day and the week, this was not an easy task. But we found one so me getting there, adjusting her bicycle to fit me, me trying to ride it and then - getting it home.

I stopped at a local bicycle repair shop I pass at least twice per day and asked about rack options. With an only partially concealed sneer, he told me I should just put it in my car, rather than wrestling with an overhead rack that would decrease the clearance of my car in spaces like a parking garage, or going to the expense or trouble of a mounted rack, since I was just trying it out. Luckily my new car can accommodate a bicycle inside.

So I went to my friend's house, we got out her bike and dusted it off, adjusted the seat and the seat stem (is that what it's called?) and I took it to the non-busy road in front of her house. She'd warned me about turning; she'd discovered on her first few rides out that it was not as easy as she remembered it being as a kid. I thanked her and wobbled my way up onto the seat while applying my weight to the up pedal and off I went. And she was right about turning. I was glad she'd told me, since I needed a wider spot to turn around than even my old Saturn sedan had required - wow. But I didn't fall. And I didn't throw myself over the handlebars when I stopped: my body instinctively remembered to that "right is rear" and to not stop myself with the front brakes. Yay. First test done.

It only took getting the bicycle into my car that one time with my friend's help and then taking it out solo at home, one time, to know that I needed another way to be able to take the bike somewhere for longer rides. No way was I going to wrestle it in and out of my car every time I wanted to go for a longer ride. So I made a deal with myself and that, if I took it out a few more times in the neighborhood and really thought I liked it and wanted to go further, I'd start with a rear mount removable bike rack. Later if I get my own bike and am on it more regularly, I'll invest in something a little more secure.

So, I did. I became the proud owner of a rear-mount hatchback bicycle rack that can hold up to three bicycles. So I can go riding with a friend.

Next (yesterday) was the basic bicycle repair and maintenance class at REI. Good, free, basic. Yes. Which led to the purchase of padded palm bicycling gloves and chain lubricant. Well, the class didn't lead to those purchases - my rides led to those purchases, but since I was at REI for the class, of course I bought them there. And used my member dividend to reduce the cost.

And so it has begun. The purchase of bicycle gear. To add to my paddling and kayaking and walking and distance relay gear.

If I start craving spandex pants, I'll know I'm in trouble. No - seriously. But at this point I don't see a need for special bicycle clothing. At this point I'm quite happy to ride in my jeans - more protection for my skin if I fall. I know when it gets hot I'll want something else - or not. Something more breathable, probably. But there is no reason I can think of for me to ever leave the house in spandex shorts. No.

Write a story about your experience with a bicycle - present or as a child. Or write a story where your character has an interesting encounter on a bicycle.

Still stuck? Try one of the visual prompts below to get you started (one animated picture; one video).

or the bicycle repairman sketch from the old Monty Python...

Memoir and Bicycle and Work, Oh My!

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I have all of the most current versions of pieces of the memoir printed out and in a new notebook. Each section has its own beginning page and ending page (some are chapters, some will become inserts into chapters, some are probably two or three chapters - and one is several chapters). This will supposedly make it easier to move them around. Or not. But it does make it easier to find them. When I found a "hole" - a missing piece of information or a place I want to add something, I used a page with the title or theme of that missing section.

And I placed them in order in the notebook.

Except that now I am going back to my original plan, rather than my newly hatched plan. And - oh, wait - yes, I printed them out in a way that makes them easier to move! Good for me.

Next step in the memoir: write the missing pieces and rewrite the other pieces so there is a consistent voice.

After that: editing. Well, after more rewriting and tweaking. Then edit.

And I took the bicycle out today. I think this is going to work. It was fun! And it feels like it will be a nice compliment to the exercise I've been adding back into my schedule. Swimming and biking and walking and weights. Yes. I've been able to add bits back in, slowly, cautiously, paying attention to my neck while swimming from the December car accident and paying attention to my back as I add walking back in. And now bicycling - this feels right. I know I've only started - but I enjoyed it and I haven't fallen off and I'm doing really well on flat, wide, low traffic streets. Yes, a lot of conditions in there and that's okay. Today I even tried a slight incline and I didn't fall, didn't run out of breath, and couldn't get the gears shifted quite right so it was really hard - but I did it.

Remembering how to ride a bike. Remembering and telling my stories. Fine tuning and being patient and going ahead even when it's hard.

Then work. All of the places I work and the hats I wear and the days and hours spent doing them. Things are coming together and it's going to be okay. Planning a little and some good news here and there. Setting some boundaries on scheduling and trying to stick with them. And planning little bits of time off here and there.

Remembering that I count, too. The people I work with - clients, students, and more - all count and are important and that doesn't devalue my needs as a person, as the person, the writer, outside of my profession. Fine tuning how I work and what I want. Being patient. Going ahead with the meetings and the new ideas, even when I think it may be a stupid one.

And remembering that this coming Saturday, April 30th, is the Write Around Portland event: WRITE! Several two-hour free writing workshops scattered around Portland. I'll be facilitating one and there will be a couple (that I know of) people who are Deaf in my workshop - and my friend and fellow interpreter, Steve, will be with me to interpret so that I can facilitate. I'm very excited about this opportunity, too. There may be more that comes out of this weekend that getting a Deaf friend and another person who is Deaf hooked on writing!

Moving forward, incorporating what works into the changes and letting go of things that no longer fit.

Write. Bike/swim/walk. Interpret.
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Blue Pens and Bicycles

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I am making progress on the memoir. I am using a hybrid of electronic and paper cut-and-paste for putting together the pieces. I have spent many hours this week reading through the pieces, putting together an outline; seeing where there are gaps of information and where there are gaps of editing.

One example: there is one section near the beginning of the book that I have worked on quite a bit. It has been run past other writers and a mentor/editor. I have tweaked and changed and added and smoothed and it feels pretty near done. But when I read through the printout of all of the parts, I saw that there is another piece which goes with it - extends the part I've spent so much time on.

It's not a problem. Just that the polished section's most recent version was March 2011; the additional section - which has not been touched since it was first written - is from 2007. My writing has changed (for the better) within that time, I'm happy to say. But the writing of two pieces of that section or chapter or larger scene is very uneven. It's not a problem and I'm looking forward to the challenge of bringing it all together.

So what I'm doing right now is starts with the three inch notebook containing the printout, which has various colored sticky notes, handwritten notes, circles and arrows and names on the back (no, wait, that's from the song Alice's Restaurant!).... *smile*.  I have the notebook, my notes, the stickies, the cross outs and tear outs and I'm putting the pieces together and taking them apart in a computer document.

I've downloaded all of the parts to my laptop and combined the ones that were online with the ones that were already on the laptop into a MEMOIR folder. Then, within that, I have a FILE called MEMOIR Editing and I'm doing an electronic cut and paste of the pieces. Trying to order them and clearly mark where heavy editing needs to happen. I haven't gotten to a hole yet - but I will just put HOLE in 24 point font or something and probably fuchsia color, easy to find. I've bracketed the needs editing parts with double lines and EDIT START/END bolded and highlighted in yellow.

Each time I make changes to this master editing document, I upload it back to Google Docs before shutting down the laptop. I really like using Google Docs, because I can access it from anywhere. But one problem - which is also one bonus feature - is the automatic save. The good thing is that I don't lose much - if anything - if there is a power or computer failure. The bad thing is that, with a large document, which this book has quickly become, the auto save slows my computer. My laptop works fine - but it is not the fastest laptop around (it's several years old, works fine, but not the speediest).

So - hybrid editing: computer, online, paper and pen; and local hard drive and cyberspace (I'm not sure if I'm actually in a cloud - I don't think so, but something I heard recently, I may be).

And: I'm making great progress!

Oh - one more thing. Tomorrow I'm meeting a friend to borrow her bicycle. She's not using it much right now and I've been thinking I'd like to have one and start riding. But I don't want to put out the money if I'm not going to use it. So, I'm excited - another physical adventure lies ahead! I've also returned regularly to the gym (swimming, weights, will add in a few machines) and walking (I'm up to 2 miles now - after getting over the cold/flu and feel I'm near the end of treatment for the December car accident).

Things are definitely looking up. Adventures are back in the forefront with writing!



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AIDS LifeCycle

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I have a friend and co-worker who is participating in the AIDS LifeCycle event. She attended the orientation meeting just a couple hours ago. Tomorrow morning she will head out at 4:30 AM to begin the 545 miles in 7 days bicycle ride.

Tammy has trained hard and is an excellent fundraiser.

I wanted to give a cyber shout out to her and to invite everyone to check in to see how the 2500 bicyclists are doing on this incredible event.

What a cause and what amazing people to do this.

Here is a map of their route:

You can click here to follow the riders or get more information.
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