It’s been a long, long, long time since I’ve written a blog post–about 3.5 months, to be exact. The last year has been a wild, wacky, weird, intense one, without much room or space for writing, blogging, or doing anything beyond the day-to-day. But now that I’ve stopped having nightmares about the day job, and given that I’m finally in the process of creating some routine in my life, I feel like it’s finally time to get back in the saddle.
So here I am! I’ve missed the ROW80 community while I’ve been away, and I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone has been up to.
Yesterday I headed to San Francisco’s Old Mint, where all the gold was stored in the days before Fort Knox. The occasion: the Fourth Annual SF History Expo. Talk about a history lover’s paradise! There were dozens of organizations represented, like the California Historical Society (based in SF, with archives that are free and open to the public), the GLBT Historical Society, and tons of neighborhood-based historical orgs, which were some of my favorites.
San Francisco Old Mint (Photo credit: www78)
I signed up for way too many email lists, found a ton of events that I’m dying to attend in the next few months (the best: a sea chantey sing-along event held aboard a historical ship), and gained a ton of momentum to continue work on my dissertation and my steampunk novel. After all, they’re both based on San Francisco history. Maybe one day I’ll have a booth of my own at one of these events. 😀
With that, here are my goals for the rest of Round 1:
Dissertation:
- Complete one chapter of my dissertation by the end of Round 1.
- Create a working inventory of data sources.
- Hammer out a coding scheme for data sources.
Creative Writing:
- Write five new chapters of TELL ME NO LIES.
- Write five poems.
- Read four novels.
And that’s it. Short, sweet, and hopefully attainable. I’m aiming to check in for ROW80 once a week, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll start writing non-ROW80 posts as well.
So yay! With that, I’m off to check in with the rest of this week’s ROW80 participants.
March 3, 2014 at 8:39 am
glad to see you back, Lena and good luck with those goals!
Fallon recently posted..Sunday Summary: In Like a Lamb
March 3, 2014 at 11:21 am
Thanks, Fallon! Have a great week. 😀
March 3, 2014 at 9:33 am
I love doing history stuff! My husband and I went to the Spindletop museum in Beaumont, Texas this weekend and learned about oil gushers and boomtowns at the turn of the century (1901). Fascinating.
Glad you’re back in the saddle! Enjoy the ride. Love your goals. And major best wishes with the dissertation. I once considered getting a Ph.D., and that word has always struck a bit of trepidation in me. But I’m sure you can do it and do it well! 🙂
Julie Glover recently posted..Story? Novella? Novel? What Am I Writing?
March 3, 2014 at 11:24 am
Ooooh, that sounds super interesting, Julie. I am dying to dig deeper into SF history. Next month I’ll be doing the “Chantey Sing” event aboard one of the historic ships,and I’m going to try to sneak an architectual walking tour of the city into my schedule at some point. If I ever end up teaching at the college level, I’m going to be sure to encourage my students to check events like these out for extra credit. Nothing like learning more about the places where one lives, right? 😀
Thanks for stopping by! Hope your week is off to a great start.
March 3, 2014 at 11:35 am
I like your goals, Lena. Short, sweet, and to the point, but it still sounds like you’ll be making a lot of progress. Welcome back to the blogosphere! 🙂
Denise D. Young recently posted..Fun for Writers: 3 Awesome Videos for Inspiration & Sunday #ROW80 Check-In
March 7, 2014 at 8:12 am
Thanks so much, Denise! I realized that I really needed teeny tiny baby step goals to get me back on track. I’ve got my fingers crossed that this will work. 😀
March 3, 2014 at 12:19 pm
Welcome back, Lena! Good to see you.
The day in San Francisco sounds like a blast! I love those kinds of events.
Good luck with your goals. Looking forward to seeing you around.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
Patricia recently posted..Always Wear An Invisible Crown
March 7, 2014 at 8:13 am
Hi Patricia! It feels sooooo nice to be back.
Hope your week has been going well!
March 6, 2014 at 2:22 pm
Lena! Glad to see you do a Row80 post. Guess this means I should get my butt in gear and do one as well. If I’m going to demand your words, I suppose I should have some to give back lol. Great goals to start with! The Chatney Sing-along sounds amazing!! Good luck with the rest of round 1 <3
Lauren Garafalo recently posted..Kiss Me, Kill Me: Knights of Rilch by Rachel O’Laughlin
March 7, 2014 at 8:15 am
THANK YOUUUUU. The trick, though, is continuing to check in each week… and I have failed miserably on that front for like the last 3 rounds, so I’m really going to try to do it this time.
I will hopefully have words for you soonish. Trying to pull the current chapter into some semblance of order… 😛
Happy Friday!!!