Sunday News #41
Feeling
I’m feeling a bunch of things this week. First, I’m feeling excited and nervous. NaNoWriMo starts on Tuesday and I’m excited to finally participate. I’m also nervous because I’m not sure I can do this. I’m such a perfectionist that it’s going to be really hard for me to just write and not worry about making it perfect even for the first draft.
I’m also feeling a bit discouraged about blogging and reading in general. Ever since Corey and I decided to sell our townhome back in May, I feel like my blogging and reading haven’t been the same and they’ve slowly been getting worse. Because I’m not reading, I don’t have any new material to talk about and I’m worried I’m going to lose followers due to lackluster posts and not always commenting on other blogs. And, because of NaNoWriMo, I’m going to be blogging and reading even less than I have been for the next month.
Blogging
This week on the blog:
Reading
I’m a little over halfway through the NEW MOON audiobook. I haven’t read anything else.
Listening
I’ve been listening to my “Songs That Make Me Happy” playlist this week and one of my very favorites is “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO. Here it is for anyone unfamiliar with it.
Watching
Corey and I watched a lot of things this week (mostly on Netflix). We started bingeing ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT. We’ve both seen seasons 1 through 3 and part of 4. What we watched of season 4 sucked, but I’ve heard season 5’s better. We’ll see.
We also watched a couple of thrillers and comedies. The first thriller was a limited series called THE WATCHER. It’s very loosely based on a true story. I enjoyed the series even though the ending was a bit ambiguous and confusing.
We next watched THE VAULT. It’s a Spanish-produced English heist movie with Freddie Highmore and Sam Riley. It was a lot of fun and very suspenseful. It reminded me of a non-comedy version OCEAN’S ELEVEN meets NOW YOU SEE ME.
We watched I CAME BY next, a movie about a corrupt judge in London and a couple of graffiti taggers who want to bring him to justice. I don’t want to give anything away so that’s all I’m going to say other than I thought it was really interesting.
We also watched ME TIME, a comedy with Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg. It was funny. Hart and Wahlberg had really good chemistry (aromantic), almost as good as Hart and Dwayne Johnson do in their movies.
We tried out an episode of MURDERVILLE with Will Arnett. I thought it was funny, but Corey didn’t so we didn’t continue watching. I’ll probably watch it without him.
I watched a few episodes of EASY-BAKE BATTLE. I’m enjoying it a lot. I think some of the cooking hacks are really ingenious and others are stupid and make cooking for difficult. LOL.
Finally, I watched DEAR EVAN HANSEN. It was the first time I’ve seen it. I loved it. I felt seen.
Loving
I love soaking in epsom salt. I had a massage on Wednesday morning to help with the tightness in my muscles around my pinched nerve. After the massage, my massage therapist recommended I take a bath with epsom salt to help with the pain. It was amazing! Sadly, my pinched nerve was severely inflamed on Thursday due to the massage. I went back to the chiropractor on Friday and the pain mellowed again.
Wanting
I want to confess something. You may have been wondering why I haven’t talked about school very much since August. I decided to take a leave of absence for the semester or longer because I had a hard time doing school while in PTSD therapy. I should be done with therapy in November or December so I registered for next semester.
I’m still going to pursue a BA in Spanish with a certificate of proficiency in Japanese. I also registered for a web development class. Because I love CSS and HTML coding, Corey thinks I’d enjoy being a front-end web designer so I thought I’d take a class and see what I think.
Needing
I still need to prepare for NaNoWriMo. I have a basic outline of my story done. I just need to do a little bit of research and then I’ll be ready … I think.
How was your week? Anything exciting happen?
Good luck with school and the writing!
Thanks, Jill! 😀
You might think I sound silly, but I never look at how many followers I have. I used to worry about it all the time, and I used to do things to increase the number, but finally, finally, finally I decided to just blog because I love to write and read and see what others are writing and reading and doing in their lives. (Although sometimes I still get the teeny-tiniest bit anxious if I have fewer comments on a post…Ah, I just try to go on and let it go…)
Soaking in Epsom salts sounds like a good thing to try for aches and pains…I will try to remember that. Thanks so much!
I don’t think you sound silly. I think it’s great that you don’t worry about followers. I try not to. I just really appreciate the reciprocality of my followers. I love the interaction, you know. 😀
We all just have to do the best we can with blogging and reading and nothing ever goes perfectly. It depends on who your followers are. Some of us are Sunday post types and as long as you keep with that a couple times a month we will stay connected. Others who want reviews may be harder to keep but everyone has their ups/downs. I wouldn’t worry too much. I think people stop following from too much content more than too little.
Very true. Thanks for your insights. I really appreciate them. 😀
I completely understand having limited time while trying to sell and move. We just did that this last April-June and I feel like we’re still settling in after the selling and buying another house. I think most understand. Try not to stress! We read for enjoyment, right? And blogging is supposed to be for fun and to connect with like-minded people. I do have to say that audiobooks helped me to “read” through the whole ordeal.
I totally get feeling like you’re still settling in. We’re pretty settled now except for a few things like hanging our artwork and finding places for a few odds and ends. 😀
Yes, reading is for enjoyment. When it becomes a job, it loses its savor. Same thing with blogging like you pointed out. I have been enjoying listening to audiobooks 😀
Good Luck with NaNoWriMo!
I did something related a few years ago centered around journaling. I enjoyed it but the host never posted prompts after that.
Thanks, Alicia! 😀 That sounds like fun to do the journaling during the month. That’s too bad the host didn’t keep going.
I used to worry about being a slow reader and not having material, but there are lots of fun memes that you can participate in whilst you are reading 🙂
I am glad that the baths are helping.
Fingers crossed for next semester!
Have a good week this week 🙂
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
Thanks, Emily! Yes, that’s true and I do enjoy participating in the three memes I do. 😀
Good luck with Nanowrimo! I hear you on blogging- I had Covid and then a Sinus infection plus I started a new part-time job and all that lead to about 6 weeks with no blogging EEEK
Thanks, Victoria! 😀 Having COVID and a sinus infection and getting a new job would definitely hamper your blogging! I hope you’re feeling better and more settled.
I don’t think you should worry about losing any followers because you are taking time for yourself. You deserve to take time away from blogging and reading and focus on other things. Have a great week!
Thanks, Jamie! 😀 I appreciate your words of encouragement.
Great week you have had there, and it looks like you have watch some great shows! Don’t ever worry about your reading or not having that many blog posts, sometimes life just happens, and we are always here for you. Just do what is best for you! Love Epsom salt soaks!
Yeah, it was a great week! 😀 I did really enjoy the shows. Thanks! I appreciate your insights!
You know what I’ve done during NaNoWriMo? I wrote a weekly post on how my week of NaNoWriMo went with all that data from the website on your progress and awards and stuff. (You can even technically count that towards your word count if you want.). Good luck! Maybe try one of their virtual events. I found them fun!
That’s pretty cool. I’ve thought of doing that for NaNo before. Thanks for the advice! 😀
Hello,
Thanks for commenting on my blog! I wish you best of luck on Nanowrimo and perhaps like others stated, its important to take care of yourself. Blogs are supposed to be for fun rather than a job. (It’s a shame they sometimes feel that way.) I wish you best of luck and I am happy to hear that epsom salts have helped you out.
You’re welcome! 😀 Thank you so much! I agree that blogging should be fun and I often make it like a job so it’s no longer fun.
I feel like with NaNoWriMo you’re really just competing against yourself. So no worries there. And with blogging, followers come and go. It’s so fluid. I have a vague idea of how many followers I have but I honestly give very little thought to it. I blog when I can and when I feel like it and don’t stress about the rest. 😊
It’s true! There’s no one else that helps or keep you away from completing your goal with NaNo! Thanks for pointing that out to me. 😀 Thanks for your insights on blogging.
Well, you don’t have to worry about losing ME because you are locked into my Feedly feed. Ha ha.
But no seriously. I love reading blogs that are just about regular day-to-day life stuff and I’m rarely bored by any of it so, you can count on at least one continuous reader.
I love that you have a Songs That Make Me Happy playlist. Mine is “If I’m Ever in a Coma, Play Only This” playlist.
Epsom salt bath…is that the same as a “Sitz bath” or whatever it’s called and if not, how are they different, I wonder. Don’t worry. I’ll Google.
I hope you enjoy your web development class and your NaNoWriMo experience!
Thanks, Jinjer! 😀 I really appreciate it! I have you locked in my Feedly too. I’m glad the types of things I post are interesting to you. I love the name of your playlist! I think Epsom salt and Sitz baths are the same, but I’m not completely positive. I hope you found your answer on Google. 😀