Tuesday, December 12, 2006

No Pithy Phrase Indeed

It's year end again, and last week we lost a good friend at Fest to a stroke. Two strokes, actually. He wasn't even 50 yet. Brings things into serious perspective and makes a girl take stock of her life, top to bottom.

As such I've decided to make my resolutions prior to 1/1 in effort to keep them from floating off to that island of misfit New Year's promises. I'm making a serious effort to get our finances in order so I no longer feel like I'm on the brink of bankruptcy (we're not, but often it feels that way). The speed of pulling ourselves out of the hole depends on his work situation: if he get's one of the new jobs he's applying for...with an actual SALARY (and paid vacation!) we'll be debt free (except for the house, obviously) before I'm 32. That would make me happy. If the decent job is still a little ways off, well, it might not happen until closer to 35. But at least we're working on it.

In a similar line of thinking, I'm damn tired of being a 6' tall fat girl. And I've been feeling particularly guilty about the dog's forlorn eyes when he looks at his leash...therefore I'm determined to get in shape. REal shape: the kind where I can wear a bikini and not feel too ashamed. The kind where I can run 30 minutes and not die, and as a reward for the effort I'm finally going to go to that kickboxing class I've wistfully bookmarked on the internet favorites.

The most important one: I've started the book. I have a promise from my husband that we can relocate to my hometown (a miracle feat, actually, since I've been trying to move back there for six years but he wasn't interested). The catch? Of course there' s a catch...he won't move until I have a book on the shelves at Barnes and Noble. It's an incentive and a delay all in one: incentive to sit down and actually write the two book series I've had in my head and in a notebook for two years. Delay because even when I get it all down there's NO guarantee I'll write publishable work. He says I have talent (and as someone who reads the kind of books I want to write I value that opinion), but we'll see. I may have to argue that point later, but first I have to write it!

Therefore (however comma...that's for El) to keep me motivated and allow a certain amount of bitching about the process, I'm going to blog my progress in the writing process. Hopefully later I can blog (and bitch) about the agent and publishing process!! I may include the occasional feeling-sorry-for-myself workout or finance session, but the primary reason for this blog in 2007 will be to log my writing progress/woes/successes.

Here goes!!