NaNoWriMo, Part Deux

Yes, as a matter of fact,
I *AM* crazy

So, this year I am going to participate in NaNoWriMo again. Crazy, right? Especially since I am taking classes and teaching and all of the other stuff that is going on in my life right now. I figure that I might as well push myself over the edge of sanity and embrace my inner basket case. It's going to be swell.

I am going to alleviate some of my stress, however, by continuing the novel that I didn't get to finish last year because of Natter's broken leg. I love my novel and think that it deserves to be finished.

Even now, I am trying to figure out how to get these 150ish words into the novel I'm writing. It's awesome. Wish me luck!

Being off the Grid

I recently had an opportunity to go completely off the grid for a week. Well, it wasn't an opportunity, really, more like a forced exclusion. I visited my father in the middle of Missouri-- three hours from St. Louis and three hours from Kansas City. It was out of network for my smart phone and not even on the map for Internet access.

That's right. I went a whole week without Facebook, Twitter, email (all 7 of them), and all things cloud-based. Crazy, I know!

At first, I was in a panic. How would I keep connected with the world? How would I blog about what I was doing? How would I get my online class started? I was like an addict, freaking out about my next "fix". However, being the trooper that I am, I soldiered on.

I left my smart phone in my room (gasp).

The first day was very hard. I kept on clutching my pocket, seeking the rectangular security that I usually found there. Feeling the absence of its assuring weight was alien to me. I felt a little lost, especially when I wanted to share with my friends what we were doing. It felt strange to not tell people what was happening on my vacation. The thing is, I found myself paying even more attention to my family and sharing with them.

It was AWESOME!

Mighty Fishermen!

Because I was forced to let go of my Internet "leash," I realized how much I have been missing in the present moment. It has made me think about how inundated I was getting with extraneous information. It made me realize that so many of my students probably feel exactly the same way.

When I returned from my vacation, I wasn't as frantic to get online. I deleted my Facebook and Twitter apps from my phone. It has been three weeks, and I still don't miss them. I still check both networking sites daily, but I am not checking every hour. It is kind of nice to not feel the urge all of the time.

Have you ever been disconnected unwillingly? If so, how did you deal with it?

So Sad Days

Have you ever had one of those "so sad" days? The kind where everything is going great, but you can't shake the feeling of sadness, no matter what you do? I guess I am having one of those days.

My dad and stepmother are coming to visit next weekend. I am very nervous about it. I don't really know what to say to them. I don't know what to do with everyone that will be in my house. I never feel like my house is good enough for anyone, especially not them. I know that I shouldn't care, but there is something that stops me from being rational about it.

My hubby had to work all weekend and I really missed him. Maybe that is the cause of my melancholy. Next weekend is the family and the weekend after that, he is going hunting with his friend. I am happy that he gets to go, I just wonder if we are going to get to spend any time together at all for the next month.

So... I will close this post about my so sad day and try to get out of it. Maybe I will clean up the house or take a nap. Hope your day isn't a "so sad" one.