Classy

In case you all missed it - I'm in grad school. 

I know, you had no idea, right? Right. 

Anyway, this semester I'm taking PR Features Writing for the Web. The class just started two weeks ago and we discovered that (ready for it) - we have to write ... on the web. 

That's right folks, our entire class will be leading discussion on the web, right over here at our handy-dandy Wordpress site. There we'll be discussing all of the earth-shattering, mind-blowing topics you can handle, from the perspectives of about 10-15 different people.

At the very least, everyone will be showing up to hone our writing skills at the mercy of the Interwebs. 

(You're the Interwebs. Please show us mercy.)

Anyway, join us, won't you? I would LOVE it if you'd travel over there and give us all some open and honest feedback, both about our subject matter and our writing styles. In fact, it's part of the assignment to get visitors to the blog, so if you could just hop on over, that'd be great!

You're not going to make me beg, are you?

Resolutions.

If you belong to a gym, then you may think you know me. 

I would be the girl that shows up around January 2nd ready & raring to go. I've got a New Year's Resolution and I'm bound and determined to keep it. 

For most, that story ends sometime around, oh, January 11th. Hey look at that - today's the 11th. 

But for me, this resolution has a lot more sticking power. And you'll be happy to know it has nothing to do with showing up at your gym and making you wait for a treadmill. (Don't get me wrong - I'm definitely trying to get more fit - but this time I'm doing it in the comfort of my own home because the husband and I bought a treadmill. So no worries.)

What really makes my resolution different, though, is that I'm focusing a lot more on my overall health and wellbeing, not just a number on a scale or clothes tag. And since I have this forum to help keep me accountable, I'm going to lay out those goals so you can all mock me when I don't keep them up. So here goes ...

In 2012, I resolve to:

• Be a healthier person, in both mind and body
• Take better control of my free time
• Stop complaining about things I'm able to fix
• Be a better wife
• Write more!

That's it - not too much, right?

2012 has the potential for being one hell of a year and I'm resolving to make it one. 

So, how many of you are still keeping your resolutions?

Ghetto NaNoWriMo

You may or may not know this, but November is National Novel Writing Month, or, as the cool kids call it, NaNoWriMo. While I have no intentions of writing - or even beginning - a novel this month given my current schedule, it is definitely something I've considered doing more than once. 

That said, I think NaNoWriMo can serve a purpose, albeit a somewhat twisted one, here. So rather than following in the tradition, I fully intend to exploit the enthusiasm for NaNoWriMo and convince myself to write something - anything - every day in November. 

I promise no gems, I promise no epiphanies, but I do promise that I will be here, every day, for the next thirty days. So will you be here to hold me accountable?

Good. Glad to hear it. 

So here goes - surely this counts as the first day's post, right? 

Or maybe I should say, write. 

Either way, see you tomorrow!

Writing

I write every day for work.  

I write every day for school. 

I write emails, text messages and even notes to myself on paper.

So sometimes, something as simple and as enjoyable as writing this blog just doesn't make the list for the day. Or for the week. Or in this case, for the last month.

But I've missed you so and today seemed like the perfect day for that streak to stop. In hindsight, starting grad school and a new job in the same week was probably not the best decision I've ever made. In fact, I'd probably put it somewhere in the realm of coloring my hair with a permanent marker in high school. 

Actually, that didn't turn out too badly. Maybe I could use purple streaks again...

But all that said - I hope to be able to start writing more again. Reading for class is causing a severe drain on my time, but here's hoping. 

Til next time.

Accepted!

How many posts am I going to start by saying I know it's been a while?

Well, at least one more. I know, it's been a while. 

Lucky for you, the travel is pretty much over for the time being; which, of course, means I'll have more time to devote back to writing.

But what brings me to my laptop tonight was a breaking development last night that I just have to share - I got accepted into Grad school! Granted, if you're reading this, you probably also saw this on Facebook, Twitter or my gleaming face, but I'm excited so I'm sharing it from every avenue I can. 

It really happened quickly, and I'm glad for that; I'm not exactly known for my patience. So now, I have to put that patience to the test as I wait painstakingly until fall to begin classes. 

But as excited as I am, I'm at least equally nervous. It's been three years since I've taken a test, researched a paper or studied theory. It's going to be a lot tougher than undergrad, but I'm thrilled to think about spending time back on campus - a new campus - with a whole world of learning to do.

So of course, we had to celebrate. I knew that leftover bottle of sparkling wine from New Year's would eventually come in handy.

Cheers!

Uh-Oh.

Staring at a blinking cursor on a blog is even more intimidating than the one I used to stare down on papers and articles in college.

I don't know about on your end, but the little line on my screen is taunting me, telling me I better write something funny/witty/smart/useful/interesting/thought provoking/original, but the damn thing doesn't offer any suggestions.

Sure, I could tell you what I do everyday, but that would only take about 6 words: wake up, eat, work, sleep, repeat. I could probably elaborate with the number of acronyms I used at work today or how many thank you notes I have left to write - I would guess somewhere between 20 and 25 different acronyms and possibly 180 thank you notes. I could fill you in on the evening hours where I make ill-planned and therefore expensive trips to Kroger, or where I watch my dog try to explain to me why he needs to go upstairs.

Or downstairs. Or outside. Or back inside.

But the truth is, I'm trying to make THIS my hobby - not blog about something I already do. Unfortunately for you, that means you probably won't be fascinated by anything you read here. Unfortunately for me, that means I have to come up with something every time I want to write. Trust me, I wish I had a hobby to write about...it would probably be a lot more interesting for everyone involved.

So in order to get my fingers moving, I had to type about getting my fingers moving. See how that works? Here's hoping that between this post and next, I hit the lottery or something else equally exciting (and financially stimulating). Until then...

Damn you cursor.