TSS: 11.7.10

Well, without consciously planning it, I seem to have found a blogging pattern.  Lately I have found that a once a week post that covers a variety of topics works well for me at this particular time in my life.  I hope that it is a satisfactory schedule for you, my dear readers.  Hopefully I will find more time to read and blog about said reading during the holiday break, but until then I will at least try to remain faithful to the Sunday Salon.

Personal:

It has been absolutely beautiful fall weather here in Kansas these past few weeks.  There has been little rain, lots of sunshine, and high temperatures in the mid 60s.  This is quite unusual for us.  We have a saying here that states:  if you don't like the weather in Kansas, just wait five minutes and it will change.  Well, I am glad that it has remained in this particular holding pattern.

I left school the other day and happened to look up and notice some beautiful cloud formations.  Again, this is not a common site in the prairie states.  We either have ominous looking clouds that indicate severe weather, or bright blue sky (usually accompanied by blinding sun and heat and humidity).  I came straight home and forced myself to take a few pictures.  Well, that is not quite accurate.  "Forcing myself" sounds as though it was some sort of punishment.  Actually, I ALLOWED myself to take the time and enjoy a photo shoot of nature that was totally impromptu without any pragmatic ulterior motive.  It was glorious.  I will share a few of the 270+ pictures I took in this post.  I hope you enjoy.

Reading:

I did not actually read for pleasure this week as I spent all my free time focused on NaNoWriMo (see below).  I did, however, visit our library's bi-annual book sale this week and found lots of future reading material for a mere pittance.   I purchased approximately 45 books for a whopping $38.00  I figure even if I don't read them over the next decade I supported a good cause and increased my personal library.  It is a win-win situation.  I found a number of contemporary fiction books, most notably Brooklyn by Colm  Toibin and The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon ; a few mysteries including Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley and The Unfinished Clue by Georgette Heyer, and quite a few holiday books for the  upcoming Christmas season.  I specifically focused my attention on more women's fiction stories, since that appears to be my writing focus.  I rationalized the purchase of these books as valid research.

The next sale will be the first week of June, so I should have enough reading material to tie me over until then.

Teaching:

I had an unexpected four-day work week, but I would gladly have worked five days if I could have prevented the cause.  The five year old son of one of the pastors at the church died in his sleep Monday afternoon.  He apparently had a seizure and by the time they rushed him to the hospital, it was too late to save his life.  The funeral was scheduled for Friday and school  was cancelled to allow the church family to grieve.

I decided that I would spend my Friday in celebration of life, in memory of this young boy who had his own life cut short.  I left the house by 8:30 and did a few errands before meeting a group of dedicated students at the local Borders bookstore for an impromptu NaNoWriMo write-in.  Out of the sixteen students registered for the month-long club, four came to the Borders get-together, and I consider a 25% response rate fantastic for a voluntary meeting.  We had quite a bit of fun and even made some progress on our novels.

I then decided to do a bit of Christmas shopping and ventured to Barnes and Noble.  I spent a good two hours (*edit - thank you, Margot!) perusing all the aisles and looking at all the books and magazines.  I came away with lots of gift ideas, and even a purchase or two.

I then treated myself to a frozen yogurt at Orange Leaf.  Have you experienced this marvelous taste sensation (or its counterpart Peachwave)?  I do believe I am addicted to the Pineapple/Coconut mix and Mango flavors.  I rationalize that the calorie content is negligible, so I can eat as much as I want.  Fortunately I do not enjoy frozen desserts in the winter months, so I am hopeful these cravings will cease in a few short weeks.

I met my husband for an early dinner and we then walked the local mall in the hopes of being inspired with Christmas gift ideas.  I think we both added a few items to our lists, and we had a rather relaxing evening.

Writing:

Well, the end of week one of NaNoWriMo is coming to a close and I must admit that it has been a rather fun-filled adventure.  I am currently at 12,332 words and I am hoping to write another 2,500 or so more by the end of today.  That should put me ahead of schedule, which is good because I anticipate some academic lessons in my future that will hinder my ability to keep the pace during that time.

I have completed four chapters out of approximately twenty-five, so I think this novel will be somewhat longer than the required 50,000 word minimum.

This week should be rather low key, so I am hoping to have quite a bit of free time to write.  I would like to complete 25,000 words by next weekend, because the following week will require me to grade a number of papers which will not only cut down my available free time, but as is always the case, will leave me rather exhausted.  The week after that will Thanksgiving, which should provide me with the necessary hours to complete the project.

Of course, I am rather incredulous that Thanksgiving will be here in just 2.5 weeks.  Where did the year 2010 go?!