What I'm Reading
I am having so much fun in the reading realm this week! The first book I am reading right now is Fangirl by Rainbow Rowel. I LOVE it. I am intentionally not rushing through it because I can already tell it is a book I will mourn over. I already don't want it to end and I haven't even reached page 100.
Who Owns the Future? by Jaron Lanier is an audiobook I just started yesterday while doing my around the house chores. This book is going to blow my mind. As a person who spends a good portion of her life online, I can just feel that this book is going to lead to a personal paradigm shift.
Thinking in Numbers by Daniel Tammet is the other audiobook that I started this weekend in celebration of school starting up. I was incredibly distracted while this one was playing, so I know I am going to have to go back and re-listen to what I heard so far because somewhere in there Mr. Tammet said that he looks at the connection(s) between fiction and mathematics - I can't think of anything cooler!What I'm Writing
I started my Memory Project on Monday (The Memory Project Begins). I wrote down my first memory story inspired by Zeppoles. While I am happy with what I wrote, officially starting the project has planted some seeds of insecurity as I wrote about in today's Insecure Writer's Support Group post.
My writing goals for this week are:
- to write at least one blog post every week day (which will require scheduling ahead to guard against my sick days that will, unfortunately, show),
- to write at least one "memory" for the Memory Project before next Wednesday
- to submit something to my writing group (meeting this Saturday) for critique
The empty house.
It's just me and Champ (my dog) until about 4PM each day. Of course I have a ton of chores to do and next week is going to be my disability hearing (meaning that at some point soon I am going to melt down from the nerves), but in the in between there is quiet and one thing I have learned is that:
What Else I'm Up To
I am embracing a Japanese tradition. I am creating 1000 origami cranes. When I first heard about it, the legend was that the person who creates 1000 cranes gets cured of an illness, which sounded awesome to me. After researching it to begin, I found out that it is actually that the creator is granted a wish - not too bad either. As of this writing I am up to 70 cranes and I find the entire process very relaxing. I make cranes while watching movies. I make cranes while on hold during stressful phone calls. I make cranes all over the place. Here are some pictures of my cranes so far:
I love that you mourn over finishing books too. Sometimes, when I am depressed that one finished too soon, I just flip back to the beginning and read it again.
ReplyDeleteI also love your cranes. I made 1000 cranes once. I hung them all from my ceiling like snowflakes frozen in the process of falling. They made me happy every day.
I've seen you posting pics of your cranes. Very cool. I want to see all 100 together when you finish. ;)
ReplyDeleteMy daughter used to make those origami cranes all the time -I need to tell her about the wish thing! And yay for empty houses! Mine is empty from 8 to 2 and I have been SO productive as a result. Also, I cannot wait to get my hands on FANGIRL. Have heard so many good things!
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
Those cranes are fantastic! You should start leaving them in random places to brighten up someone's day. :-) What a neat tradition! I hope you have a great week of writing and quiet.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of the 1000 paper cranes. I really admire your patience and your ability to do origami. Very cool :D
ReplyDeleteHave a brilliant week!
I just won Fangirl on Goodreads this weekend. I'm anxious (or not so really) for my mail carrier to drop it off! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great prize! Enjoy it! I will probably be doing a giveaway of my copy too (though I really don't want to give it up.)
ReplyDeleteOn my first crane, there really wasn't too much ability there. As for the patience, I actually think the project is building some. I feel so calm when I am making my cranes. I think it is some sort of meditation.
ReplyDeleteI had planned on giving them all away until I read that the tradition says you have to KEEP ALL OF THEM! However, this has turned into such a calming activity that I might keep "craning" after the thousand and then give those away :)
ReplyDeleteFANGIRL has been a super fun read, particularly as a budding writer myself.
ReplyDeleteAs for my quiet days, I completely forgot that my husband is off on both Thursday and Friday this week!! I may be the only person around who is already looking forward to next Monday!
By tradition I have to string them together, 40 on a string, so it should look pretty cool when it is all done!!
ReplyDeleteKris, that is what I am hoping to do with my cranes! Now that I've mastered actually making them, I'm worried about the stringing process!
ReplyDeleteI wrote down Fangirl on my "books to read" list because your enthusiasm makes it sound really good!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think that is really interesting about making 1000 cranes and being granted a wish. I've never heard of that before. It looks like you are already a pro at making them, so you will be at 1000 in no time :) You could write secret messages on them.