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?
In my experience life changes are terrible for blogging ha ha because they take us out of our routine? At least for me! So I would say be gentle with yourself and just go with the flow, which is probably not great advice lol but there it is. 🙂 I can relate however, this whole year has been on and off hit or miss for me. Good luck with the writing though- I hope it goes awesomely!
Your shows sound fun. I just binged deadwind this weekend, a Finnish crime show. I love it.
I agree. I think it’s because our routines get messed up. When my routine is in sync, I flourish. When it’s not, I tend to flounder. I’m working on a way to recover faster and develop a new routine. 😀 Thanks for the advice, Greg. I do appreciate it even if it’s hard to go with the flow. 😂
Sorry this year has been hit or miss for you as well. I really enjoy your blog so I’m glad you’re still blogging. I’ll have to check out Deadwind. It sounds interesting. 😀
Thank you! I’m trying to stick with it. Deadwind is neat. It’s a Finnish show, kinda dark, but I love the chars.
I love dark shows and good characters always help! 😀
Don’t worry we know life gets in the way of blogging and reading some time! Just post what you can and what you feel. And when you’ll have more time then you’ll be back full speed!
Thanks, Sophie! 😀 I appreciate your support and advice.
The bloggers and blogs will always be there whenever you decide you have time or interest to read and write on it again. Commenting on other blogs will always bring readers to your posts. Have a good time with NaNoWriMo.
Thanks, Harvee! 😀 I appreciate it. I do try to comment as often as I can. When I don’t have time, I usually don’t post. I don’t want others to feel obligated to comment on my blog when I’m not commenting on theirs. So, I totally get what you’re saying.
I have been planning to watch Easy Bake Battle. It looks fun. I hope you have a great coming week. Here’s my SP: https://bonniereadsandwrites.com/2022/10/30/sundaypost-football-noahs-ark-and-tomatoes/
I hope you enjoy watching EASY-BAKE BATTLE. 😀 Thanks, Bonnie!
I’m glad you made that decision for yourself! I wish your pinched nerve would stay improved; I didn’t realize it took so long to heal(?). I loved Arrested Development but I’m with Corey on Murderville. John and I tried it for a couple episodes and it was just too silly. Life and circumstances do get in the way of blogging. In my case, it’s typepad misbehaving and needing to look around for a place to move my blog, if that’s even possible. It scares me and makes me wonder if I should quit as much as I love to write. (and it’s cheap therapy for me)
I’m sorry you’re having so much trouble with Typepad. I read your post today, but I couldn’t get to your blog to comment. I understand your reluctance about finding a new platform. I, personally, hate using Blogger. I do love WordPress, though I use the paid-host-your-own-website version. I think the free version of WordPress has a lot to offer, though, and is easier to use. I know a lot of people have migrated their blogs from Blogger to WordPress. I’d think that there’d be a way to do it from Typepad too. It might be worth looking into. I do hope you find a way to make it work. I love reading your blog and getting to know you more.
Thanks for all the support! 😀 I really appreciate it, Margaret! Some pinched nerves only take a day or two and others can take a lot longer. It depends on what’s going on in your body. I could have a crushed disc in my neck or swollen muscles/joints in my shoulder, elbow, and wrist that are contributing to the pain and tingling. Hopefully, I won’t need surgery to correct it fully.
I’ve enjoyed your blog very much, Jenni. I hope you are able to keep going. I always enjoy your music selections :). You have a lot going on in your life, so give yourself a little break. I am wishing you the best on your NaNoWriMo too!
Thanks, Wendy! 😀 I love your blog as well. I’ve found so many good books because of your reviews.
I always enjoy stopping by here. And I’m the same, if I have stuff going on offline, my blog takes the backburner. Years ago, I deleted my entire 8 year old blog, then I came back one day when I was ready again and have my current blog. I don’t recommend deleting your blog lol but I’m saying, taking a break is good and necessary sometimes.
I want to watch The Watcher eventually. Enjoy NaNoWriMo!
I actually did delete my whole blog when it was 10.5 years old. I wanted to start from scratch in the new year. It was the worst mistake I ever made in regards to my blog. I wish I still had access to those old posts. Oh well.
I hope you enjoy watching THE WATCHER. It was a lot of fun. 😀
I’m attempting NaNoWriMo again this year myself, but to edit/rewrite/polish up the YA novel I wrote a few years ago during NaNo. I loved the original seasons of Arrested Development but the newer ones on Netflix I could never make myself watch. I also need to watch The Watcher. Hope you have a good week and that pinched nerve gets better. And good luck with NaNo!
https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2022/10/30/weekly-wrap-up-91-october-30th-2022/
That’s awesome that you’re going to do NaNo! I have a friend who’s done it several years and this year she’s going to do the same thing you’re doing. I think it’s great to use the time to edit, rewrite, and polish what you already have. 😀 Good luck with and have fun!
Hi Jenni, I feel the same, if I am not blogging I am afraid I will lose followers (I actually did lose one last week), but I think it’s that way regardless. I hope you are able to get back into the flow of things (however that is what you want it to be if that makes sense!). Enjoy the school break and give yourself blogging breaks as you need them.
I know some blogs could take months off and survive. I just don’t think my blog is one of those, lol. I’m sorry you lost a follower. That’s always hard. 🙁 I hope packing and moving is going well. 😀
You need to pay attention to what your body is telling you and not worry about what others think about your blogging or reading. Honestly, I think most people don’t really pay close attention to what most of us are doing. If you aren’t reading because you can’t pay attention, be sure to report this to your therapist. It might mean your meds are off. But otherwise, be gentle with yourself. You are blogging for yourself and right now you other things on your mind!
Have a fun Halloween.
My Sunday Salon post
Thanks, Anne! 😀 I appreciate the advice. I do keep my therapist informed about my anhedonia, differences in mood, and lack of concentration. It could be medication. It could also be that I’m not focusing on my life worth living goals as much as I was earlier in the year. I’m trying to find balance again.
Jenni – I enjoy your blog but totally get that sometimes life gets in the way. As everyone has said, cut yourself some slack. This should be fun and when it isn’t, self care takes priority. Instead of setting difficult-to-meet goals of a certain number of posts, just post when you can, comment when you have a moment, and it will all take care of itself. I’ve certainly found this to be a supportive group! Sending good vibes your way!
Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
https://www.bookshelfjourneys.com/post/sunday-post-22
Thanks, Terrie! 😀 I appreciate your advice and support. You are right that blogging and reading should be fun. The minute it’s not fun anymore is when I often feel burned out. I need to find balance again.
One thing I have learned over the years is you can take a break from your blog, and no one is going to leave you for it. I’m going to be doing Nano this year. I’ve really struggled the last few years with it because of life, but my goal is to set a consistent writing habit before work each day. Thanks for the recommendation of The Vault. I love heist movies.
I have experienced that as well as I’ve taken many blogging breaks. I’ve just never had this many followers and contributors. I really do enjoy interacting with others and writing. I think my priorities are out of balance right now due to all that’s happening. I’m sure I’ll be able to restore balance at some point. 😀
Good luck with NaNo! That’s awesome that you’re doing it. I hope you’re able to establish your routine and I hope you enjoy watching THE VAULT! 😀
Good luck with NaNoWriMo! Hope you have a good time with it and even if you don’t get the large amount written I think any amount is a success, so just give it your best!
Have a great week!
Stormi
Thanks, Stormi! I’m definitely trying to focus on writing and not the word count. I don’t want to feel like a failure for not getting to 50,000 words if I don’t. I’m telling myself, like you posted, that anything is a success. 😀
It’s okay to take time away to improve your health and I commend you for it. You’ll know when the time is right to re-start blogging etc. Good luck with NaNoWriMo – I’m sure others are nervous too! Have a wonderful week ahead.
Thanks, Jodie! 😀 I appreciate the encouragement!
Sometimes life just gets in the way of blogging. It happens to all of us. Just do what you can and we’ll all still be here when you get back 🙂
I’ve never done NaNoWriMo but I’ve wanted to. I’m sure you will do great.
Have a great week!
It’s true. It’s nice when life and blogging come together. Thanks for staying around. 😀