#NaNoWriMo 2015: DAYS 7 & 8

I managed to plow through 6000+ words on Saturday. I don't know how I was able to do it, but I did it. Today, on the other hand, needs some work. As of 5pm I'm only at a few hundred words written. A lot of things contributed to this. First, I found my Diana Mini. I blew it when it came to finishing the film--I forget one vital step in rewinding it, and I ruined the whole roll. But I've learned my lesson and won't let that happen with the next roll.

The last thing in the world you want to rediscover during #NaNoWriMo is your Diana Mini. Now l just want to spend all day photographing things instead of writing. #lomography #dianamini

A photo posted by Terri (@terrideno) on Nov 8, 2015 at 6:01am PST

Of course after I found my Diana Mini in my mess of a closet, I used that as an excuse today to clean said closet. It looks great--and it only took two and a half hours that could have been precious writing time. But the day isn't over--I'll make it to 13,333 before my head hits the pillow.

Getting Down to Business

I'm resisting the urge to find almost anything to distract me this week. It's going to be hard, because I finally figured out the best way to play the Sims 3, so every ounce of my body says "Go be lazy and play all afternoon." But I have a simple thought that counteracts that. I ask myself "Have you been published? I mean, really published?" I think everyone knows the answer to that. I now sit in front of the computer, excited and full of dread at the same time. I need to do plenty of things, but the biggest task ahead of me today is to narrow down the work load and pick 3 projects (or less) to concentrate on. I'm settling on compiling the full draft of 277 Miles, the beginnings of a layout for my lomo/haiku book, and a single page comic. Yeah--I know. I have been recently obsessed with comic books, but I know nothing about drawing. I'm pretty sure it's going to look like crap, but I'm going to try my very uncooperative left hand at it. If it's legible, it'll probably end up posted here, but I wouldn't suggest holding your breath.

No more excuses!! The Sims 3 (or anything else, for that matter) shouldn't be an excuse anyway. Although all I need for the couple to do is have just one more kid to meet the lifetime happiness goal thingy, if I'm not working on any projects or my nontraditional 9-to-5, I should be reading. I made a goal on Goodreads to read just 25 books this year. I don't want to slag off already!

My Adventures in Lomography

I just realized that I haven't shared any of my lomography photos from my first Diana Mini roll. Aside from writing, photography is one of my great passions. I'm not really skilled at it, but it's fun anyway.

Here are some of the shots that I thought were decent:

Pleasure and Pain

This weekend was a lot of hard work, but a lot of fun. The nephew had a great birthday on Sunday, complete with yummy birthday cake. I was able to take a lot of pictures of the event and even squeeze in a couple of shots with the Diana Mini (not the preferred choice of family members who wanted quality photos!). Here's a shot of the cake from the digital:



While everyone was having a good time, I've been in pain the last couple of days. I have a wisdom tooth that wants to finally come through. I thought since I'm 25 I wouldn't have any issues with a new tooth coming in. It's not terrible pain, but if it persists much longer I'm going to have to suck it up and visit a dentist. I haven't been to one since I scraped off some enamel with a 35mm film canister in my photography class. If someone else would have left the can opener where it was supposed to be, that incident never would have happened.

In terms of writing, my goal for this week is to put together some of the genealogy information I have for my family. I did sort of a test biography for one of my ancestors a few months ago, but I made a few conjectures that weren't totally based on fact. Before any of that gets put on my genealogy blog, I'll have to fix that by either finding the facts or making it very clear that it was information passed down through stories.

In honor of my reentry into the depths of genealogy, here are some articles previously written about different aspects of genealogy and family history:

* Florida Burial Laws
* How to Date and Identify Old Photographs
* Top Five Free Genealogy Websites
* Wait to Pay: Use Your Free Trial
* Preserving your Family History
* Clever Ways to Decorate with Vintage Postcards

Eventful Weekend

I'm still working hard on my weight loss goal for the year, and I certainly managed to get in my exercise this weekend. I spent most of the weekend with the nephews. They are a hoot and also really, really energetic. And even though this was the weekend for love, I did not falter and delve into a box full of chocolate candies. Nope, instead I was well aware of my singleness and left it at that. I had plans to write a sappy poem either about the holiday or about being single, but the humor didn't come through for me.

I did, however, manage to complete my first roll on my Diana Mini. I was scared this morning when I rewound the film. This was my first time doing that on an analogue camera and I thought I messed it all up. When I finished rewinding, the counter didn't reset. Luckily there is advice everywhere on the Internet and I found the answer to my question. I managed not to break it and can't wait to get the film developed!

Writing is... slow. I managed one article last week. I hope to complete much more this week all while saving myself from another month of paycheck to paycheck living. Stress is high, but it only makes me more determined to get through.

Who Inspires You?

Lately, the story ideas that are supposed to fuel my career have been non-existent. I thought long and hard about this, and realized that I have not surrounded myself with the people and places that usually inspire me. Friends are the biggest inspiration for me - usually not my family. Since it is the holidays my family is the only thing around me. I'm not complaining, but I'm making a mental note that December is the hardest month for me in terms of work. Most of the time general work is lacking. And since I'm not inspired, I anxiously await January 2nd (usually still recovering on the 1st...).

This is the year I am also looking into to taking more trips, whether it's to the streets of downtown or out to the east coast. I've been planning a weekend trip to Chicago with a friend for years now, but he and I still have to find the right time when both of us can escape from work and have the money to do so. Taking trips will also give me an excuse to work with my Nikon and also try some lomography, if at all possible. I'll be working like a maniac on articles, editing and other work until then, but it should be well worth it.