Hocus Pocus

In honor of the BEST HOLIDAY (Actually-- once you  have kids: all of the holidays are pretty freaking awesome)-- I share with you the best Halloween movie EVER.

New Mantra

I will be reading, and re-reading this Norman Vincent Peale quote-- I will say back to myself whenever I have a few quiet moments in my mind.  I want to send out positive energy, not foster in negativity or worry about things I cannot change.

“Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. Make all your friends feel there is something special in them. Look at the sunny side of everything. Think only the best, be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give everyone a smile. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. Be too big for worry and too noble for anger.”
― Norman Vincent Peale

Sunday Confessions Link-Up

So-- I'm doing my first Sunday Confession via Alex @ Every Day is a New Adventure!

Alright!  So, 5 confessions?!

1- I have not picked up a novel since I finished On The Road A MONTH AGO.  I did just read through Matthew Dickman's new book of poems- Mayakovsky's Revolver a few times (read this book!)... but that's it.  It's the *first* time I haven't been reading a story of some sort in over three years!  

2- I am terrified of this year's NaNo-- the thought of trying to bang out 1600+ words a day is truly scary!  Between being a mom and partner, planning a wedding, running Mama's Got A Big Belly!, launching Fit Friends, throwing Eva's 5th Birthday, a visit from my Mom AND Thanksgiving-- yep-- November is packed full!  (But-- let's try to get the greater part of a novel finished- why not!? Ha.)

3.  Since I stopped running advertisements on this blog, closed the Facebook page and in general just stopped having a rhyme or reason to any of my posts-- Google followers dropped from over 100 to 41!  (Maybe I should add the Google Widget again?)  But, since this blog is such a modge podge of randomness-- it doesn't bother me in the slightest!  

4.  I'm kind of obsessed with Ryan Gosling right now.  Between The Ides of March and Drive-- the characters he plays are pretty freaking bad ass.  Have you seen either of those movies?  Fucking brilliant.  Fucking brilliant!

Source: am.newuvision.us via Azia on Pinterest

5.  I've been in love with Garrett since I was 19 years old.  Daily, I have moments when I look at him and I get all ooey gooey, girly whirly, smooshy wooshy, lovey dovey feeling and I have to hug him-- and think to myself, "Is this really my life?"  

Home = Them

Garrett worked until 11pm last night... Eva, Abram and I had movie night (in my bed!) and then fell asleep...  I woke up this morning to all 4 of us very comfortably snuggled together.  We had coffee and breakfast.  Our friend Tara brought her son Ayden over to play for the day.  We bundled up and went to not one, but two parks!  I baked 3 loaves of whole wheat bread (one with cinnamon, sugar & raisins for Eva's favorite breakfast)-- the entire house smells amazing.  While the kids napped-- we got in 2 games of cribbage and watched 21 Jumpstreet.  We took the kids out for a Saturday night adventure, bundled up and went to another park and looked into the windows of the closed shops downtown.

This is love.

The quiet I've been searching for.

Finally.

My mind rests and my heart swells.

NaNoWriMo Prep Day!

hNovember is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)-- I participated in Camp NaNo this summer and it was awesome!  (Though I didn't get to the neccassary word count- it was still an *awesome* experience!)

The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write at least 50,000 words during the month of November and, today is NaNo Prep Day!  Woohoo!  Writers will be sharing the ways they prepare and their favorite writing tips.  (Twitter users can follow tips using the hashtag #nanoprep).

I've been prepping for NaNo by drafting a (rough) outline of the story I plan on writing.  I have also began to "get to know" my main characters.  One of my writing professor's shared this list of 36 questions to ask your characters with a class I was in last spring, and I've been using the list to get to know my characters.  The first ten questions are:

1. How old, exactly?
2. Who do they live with?
3. Where do they live?  Describe the physical place, home, neighborhood (not people, yet).
4. Describe the kind of people who live where character does (not in the house, but in the neighborhood).
5. What day is their birthday?  Birthday important to them?
6. What is their level of education?  Where did (do) they go to school?  If college, what did they study?
7. What is their parents’ socio-economic level (education, wealth, cultural background)?
8. Parents religious?  If yes, what religion?  A big deal to them?
9. Religion important to character?  Explain.
10. What is ethnicity?  Is ethnic background important?  Describe.

Not all of the questions on the list apply to my story- so some I've skipped those that do not and I've added some of my own.  I've found it to be a great guide for the process of mapping out where you want your characters to go because you know who they are...

Other things I've been doing to prep is looking at art and other things to help inspire me.  I've also been spending time listening to music that I believe represents some of the feelings that are driving the story I want to write.  Yes for inspiration!

I will tell you one thing I have not been doing this month  (which is CRAZY) and that is- reading!  My biggest fear is to adopt another writers "voice"-- so I've been steering clear of all literature.  Poetry, poety on the other hand has been a-okay!  Have you checked out Matthew Dickman's new book, Mayakovsky's Revolver?  Sheer brilliance.

Is there anyone reading this who is also participating in NaNo this year?  What are you doing to prep!?

Nineties Blogfest

Yay!  I'm participating in the:

Participants are supposed to share their favorite "somethings" for each year of the Nineties!  Welp- this was a no-brainer for me because I LOVE NINETIES music!  Best era for music, hands down!  So-- I'm going to share my favorite singles that were released each year.  ((Should be challenging since there was an ABUNDANCE of awesome music!  And-- I'm sure you will disagree with me on a few of these!))

---

1990-
Free Falling- Tom Petty

*Worth Noting- This song is special to me because it is associated with the first memories I have of my younger sister, Megan.  I remember running around with my "cousins" Brandon and Sarah-- dancing, playing air guitar to this song while waiting for her to be born.  During her delivery, this was the song that was playing on the radio in the room as she entered the world.

1991-
Smells Like Teen Spirit- Nirvana

*Honorable Mentions: Come As You Are- Nirvana & Losing My Religion- REM

1992-
Down In A Hole- Alice In Chains

*Honorable Mentions: Under The Bridge- Red Hot Chili Peppers & Killing In The Name Of- Rage Against The Machine.
**But-- Alice In Chains is one of my all time favorite bands EVER-- kept me sane during my teenage years.  So-- Alice In Chains > Rage & Alice In Chains > RHCP

1993-
No Rain- Blind Melon

*Uncertainty: Mr. Jones- Counting Crows was also released that year... How does one choose!? Glarp.

1994-
Say It Ain't So- Weezer

*Honorable Mention: Black Hole Sun- Soundgarden.
**This song, the entire album actually, saved Garrett and I during one of our roadtrips across the country when we were youngsters.  I'll never forget screaming this with him through the hills of Colorado-- less than $100 to our name-- with our eyes on the prize: California.

1995-
Wonderwall- Oasis

*Alanis Morrisette Moment: You Oughta Know, Ironic & Forgiven were also released in '95.

1996-
One Headlight- The Wallflowers

*I miss you Wallflowers.

1997-
Semi-Charmed Life- Third Eye Blind

*Honorable Mentions: Karma Police- Radiohead & Bittersweet Symphony- The Verve
**Question: Does Bittersweet Symphony remind anyone of the movie Cruel Intentions?  I can't seperate the two from each other at all.  If I see the movie cover, I think of that song.  If I hear that song, I think of the movie.

1998-
Iris- Goo Goo Dolls

*Holy Popular Song Year, Batman!: One Week- Barenaked Ladies, The Way- Fastball, Praise You- Fat Boy Slim, Got You- The Flys & I could go on...!

1999-
Scar Tissue- Red Hot Chili Peppers

*Blink 182: What's My Age Again & All The Small Things were HUGE that year!  I loved Blink 182 back in the day.

---

Welp- that's my list!  Hope you guys enjoy!  Head over to Dave Wrote This and check out what other participants wrote about!  Should be a great trip down memory lane!

They Are Friends

Inspired from my time spent sitting on a college campus- much older and wiser than freshman surrounding me.  I don't know what to classify this silly thing as.  But, I hope you like it-- and yes there are a ton of grammatical and punctuation errors.  Can you say... RAW.

They Are Friends

Written By Azia Archer

They are friends.

They sit across from one another at a table– each with a laptop.

The less attractive and slightly overweight one is looking at the other more attractive and physically fit one’s Facebook page.

The attractive and physically fit one is not looking at the less attractive and slightly overweight one’s Facebook page.

No words escape their mouths as they immerse themselves in social networking.

The attractive and physically fit one’s phone vibrates.

It is a text message from Kara.

They are sending messages through their cellular phones about last night.

The less attractive and slightly overweight one clicks over to Kara’s Facebook page and looks at all of the pictures from last night.

They are holding up bottles of UV Blue Vodka and Sprite, making kissy faces and grabbing one another’s boobs.

The less attractive and slightly overweight one looks like she is trying too hard with that shade of orange where her skin should be. But nobody tells her that.

“Let’s do last night again soon!” the less attractive and slightly overweight one posts on Kara’s Facebook wall.

A screen pops up with an instant message.

It’s the attractive and physically fit one asking, “Isn’t Kara ANNOYING?”

“OMG! Yes!” the less attractive and slightly overweight one types back because they are friends and she wants the attractive and physically fit one to like her and she wants to hate and love all the same things that the attractive and physically fit one hates and loves because then maybe she’ll never have to be alone and then maybe she’ll stop throwing up everything that she eats because finally someone will think she is good enough.

“She is such a slut,” the attractive and physically fit one types.

The less attractive and slightly overweight one looks up from the screen and makes eye contact with the attractive and physically fit one who then smiles.

The attractive and physically fit one thinks it’s funny because nobody knows that she fucked that guy in the bathroom last night. The one with the black, flat billed cap.

The one that fucked Kara.

The one that Kara likes.

She then types, “She dresses like a slut too!”

The less attractive and slightly overweight one stares at the pictures of Kara from last night.

She doesn’t look like a slut. Her shirt is tight, pale blue, plunging down her backside.

The less attractive and slightly overweight one wants to wear that shirt. She wants to look like Kara when she wears that shirt.

Kara is so fucking goddamn beautiful she can hardly stand it, so she clicks over to the attractive and physically fit one’s Facebook page and writes, “I fucking love you bitch! You are hilarious! LOL”

And then the attractive and physically fit one quickly shuts her computer, “Hey slut,” she says the way girls joke nowadays.

The less attractive and slightly overweight one thinks she’s a sly devil and gives her a knowing smile.

Kara stands at their table, bright and shining.

She is much more attractive than even the attractive and physically fit one.

She sits down and opens up her laptop.

The less attractive and slightly overweight one thinks she smells amazing, that she is so fucking nice and pretty.

She hates her.

They smile at one another.

They are friends.

----

I think I'm going to begin occasionally posting works that I would never try to get published... Stuff like the above... Writing "exercises"-- stuff to keep my typing/writing/etc. when the block sets in.  What do you think?

On Having Constant Energy

      Of course many people are tired simply because they are not interested in anything.
Nothing ever moves them deeply. To some people it makes no difference what’s going
on or how things go. Their personal concerns are superior even to all crises in
human history. Nothing makes any real difference to them except their own little
worries, their desires, and their hates. They wear themselves out stewing around
about a lot of inconsequential things that amount to nothing. So they become tired.
They even become sick. The surest way not to become tired is to lose yourself in
something in which you have a profound conviction.
      A famous statesman who made seven speeches in one day was still boundless in energy.
      "Why are you not tired after making seven speeches?" I asked.
      "Because," he said, "I believe absolutely in everything I said in those speeches. I
am enthusiastic about my convictions."
      That’s the secret. He was on fire for something. He was pouring himself out, and you never lose energy and vitality in so doing. You only lose energy when life becomes
dull in your mind. Your mind gets bored and therefore tired doing nothing. You don’t
have to be tired. Get interested in something. Get absolutely enthralled in
something. Throw yourself into it with abandon. Get out of yourself. Be somebody. Do
something. Don’t sit around moaning about things, reading the papers, and saying,
      "Why don’t they do something?" The man who is out doing something isn’t tired. If
you’re not getting into good causes, no wonder you’re tired. You’re disintegrating.
You’re deteriorating. You’re dying on the vine. The more you lose yourself in
something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have. You won’t have time
to think about yourself and get bogged down in your emotional difficulties. To live
with constant energy it is important to get your emotional faults corrected. You
will never have full energy until you do.

                                           -Norman Vincent Peale