Outcome: "Win"
Record: 129-10
Streak: Won 11
Summary: I think I just saw a tumble weed blow past me in the cyberspace of our web ring.
Today I kept plugging away on my projects, with leisure mixed in. I got up at 11, made omelets, coffee, and fruit plates, ate with Eva, started listening to WRTI and my own music, and drafted until now. I just took a break to grab a snack and write this, but then I'm going to get back into it. At 7 I'm going to an employee appreciation party for my work.
I like my drawings. It's satisfying to work so long on something and then to see the results compressed into a single, beautiful object.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Friday, February 16, 2007
Outcome: "Win"
Record: 128-10
Streak: Won 10
Summary: I finally finished that scene in my book this morning. I was proud of myself for waking up, because when that alarm went off, I thought I was going to get back in bed. It's great these days that I seem to be able to work whether I feel like it or not. Maybe I'm approaching the point where I'll win every day no matter what.
I'm drawing again like a mad-motherfucker. I've been drawing since 4:45 with no plans to stop until 11. It looks very nice, I think.
It's crazy to think about wasting time. I bet there are people out there who have 100% maximized their time. I'm not talking about working all the time, because, #1, it's impossible, and #2, your work would suck because you wouldn't have any perspective, not to mention the fact that your life would suck in general. I'm talking about people who sleep enough, have sufficient time to spend "with their family" (because, if it were a guy, he wouldn't be a real man otherwise)--but there would be no excess time. The work would occur at the limits of what is possible and healthy, with absolute efficiency. A minute wasted would be a horror. I guess Dan is striving for something like this, and I am too, in a way, but my goals are much more modest. I remember reading this anecdote about how Ed Rendell walked into a meeting 6 minutes late, and Arlen Specter ripped him a new asshole, telling him that if they were a law firm, he would have just wasted 1/10th of their bottom line for that meeting, or something like that. In one state of mind, 6 minutes is nothing. But in another state of mind, you've just wasted an eternity.
Debussy's La Cathedrale Engloutie (The Sunken Cathedral) is not only my favorite song of any genre right now, but it may be the most beautiful collection of sounds I've ever heard period.
Record: 128-10
Streak: Won 10
Summary: I finally finished that scene in my book this morning. I was proud of myself for waking up, because when that alarm went off, I thought I was going to get back in bed. It's great these days that I seem to be able to work whether I feel like it or not. Maybe I'm approaching the point where I'll win every day no matter what.
I'm drawing again like a mad-motherfucker. I've been drawing since 4:45 with no plans to stop until 11. It looks very nice, I think.
It's crazy to think about wasting time. I bet there are people out there who have 100% maximized their time. I'm not talking about working all the time, because, #1, it's impossible, and #2, your work would suck because you wouldn't have any perspective, not to mention the fact that your life would suck in general. I'm talking about people who sleep enough, have sufficient time to spend "with their family" (because, if it were a guy, he wouldn't be a real man otherwise)--but there would be no excess time. The work would occur at the limits of what is possible and healthy, with absolute efficiency. A minute wasted would be a horror. I guess Dan is striving for something like this, and I am too, in a way, but my goals are much more modest. I remember reading this anecdote about how Ed Rendell walked into a meeting 6 minutes late, and Arlen Specter ripped him a new asshole, telling him that if they were a law firm, he would have just wasted 1/10th of their bottom line for that meeting, or something like that. In one state of mind, 6 minutes is nothing. But in another state of mind, you've just wasted an eternity.
Debussy's La Cathedrale Engloutie (The Sunken Cathedral) is not only my favorite song of any genre right now, but it may be the most beautiful collection of sounds I've ever heard period.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
There's a saying that goes, "Philadelphia isn't as bad as Philadelphians say it is", or something like that. Well, I have always said SEPTA sucks. I remember Dan saying SEPTA is awesome in comparison to other shit out there and me being skeptical. So I was pleasantly surprised when, in an unofficial search through some random message boards and ranking sites, Philly actually appears to have one of the most highly regarded systems in America. At worst, it is placed on par with Boston, which I remember thinking had a great system.
My search was prompted by reading the Inquirer article about the threat of fare increases and me thinking I fucking hate SEPTA. Even though it's not as bad as I make it out to be in my head, I still think we deserve far better. We should be striving for something like London or Paris.
My search was prompted by reading the Inquirer article about the threat of fare increases and me thinking I fucking hate SEPTA. Even though it's not as bad as I make it out to be in my head, I still think we deserve far better. We should be striving for something like London or Paris.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Outcome: "Win"
Record: 126-10
Streak: 8
Summary: I'm working on cultivating a tough mind, what the godfather might call a "man's mind", the opposite of Sonny's soft mind when he's playing all that comedy with that girl. As I said before, I can't always control my state of mind, so I can't wait until it's right before I work. On the other hand, perhaps the toughness that I'm talking about is having an ever present meta-attitude that knows that only "women and children" (again, to quote the Godfather) can afford to be careless.
I wrote, despite feeling horrible when I woke up. I used my Artist's Way tools: I'm currently on a scene that I'm having a hard time writing, so I brainstormed about it in morning pages format. I got at least 1 great idea about the scene if not 2. I also filtered a lot of things that I want to avoid with it. This is great. I'll get there, I know it.
Later when I was doing French, I used a slightly different approach than the last few days. Normally I go through each item in each lesson, trying to focus on every point. I realized that my impulse to do this is more aesthetic than practical. It is satisfying to feel like you have squeezed everything out of a lesson, or gone over every point and not missed a thing. The truth is that I already know a great deal of this material, so now I'm inspectionally reading at first, and then when I get to a section that's either new or needs review, I'll stop, analyze, put in the cd, and do that item specifically. I ripped through 3 lessons using this method.
When I got home my sickness returned. Oh yeah, I should mention that we got off from class this evening because of the snow. I used the time to think about certain strategic things that I might or might not do right now, went to the art store (which was fucking pointless because they decided to close early because of the snow) and then I got down to business, drafting for 3 and a 1/2 hours. I'm about to eat something light and sleep.
Record: 126-10
Streak: 8
Summary: I'm working on cultivating a tough mind, what the godfather might call a "man's mind", the opposite of Sonny's soft mind when he's playing all that comedy with that girl. As I said before, I can't always control my state of mind, so I can't wait until it's right before I work. On the other hand, perhaps the toughness that I'm talking about is having an ever present meta-attitude that knows that only "women and children" (again, to quote the Godfather) can afford to be careless.
I wrote, despite feeling horrible when I woke up. I used my Artist's Way tools: I'm currently on a scene that I'm having a hard time writing, so I brainstormed about it in morning pages format. I got at least 1 great idea about the scene if not 2. I also filtered a lot of things that I want to avoid with it. This is great. I'll get there, I know it.
Later when I was doing French, I used a slightly different approach than the last few days. Normally I go through each item in each lesson, trying to focus on every point. I realized that my impulse to do this is more aesthetic than practical. It is satisfying to feel like you have squeezed everything out of a lesson, or gone over every point and not missed a thing. The truth is that I already know a great deal of this material, so now I'm inspectionally reading at first, and then when I get to a section that's either new or needs review, I'll stop, analyze, put in the cd, and do that item specifically. I ripped through 3 lessons using this method.
When I got home my sickness returned. Oh yeah, I should mention that we got off from class this evening because of the snow. I used the time to think about certain strategic things that I might or might not do right now, went to the art store (which was fucking pointless because they decided to close early because of the snow) and then I got down to business, drafting for 3 and a 1/2 hours. I'm about to eat something light and sleep.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Outcome: "Win"
Record: 125-10
Streak: Won 7
Summary: I started actually writing this morning. Good stuff. Weighed in at about the same as yesterday. Did one large lesson in French today. Since 5 I've been working on a drawing, and I'm still going. I want to finish, but I also want to go to bed soon. I'll try my best to get it done soon.
Record: 125-10
Streak: Won 7
Summary: I started actually writing this morning. Good stuff. Weighed in at about the same as yesterday. Did one large lesson in French today. Since 5 I've been working on a drawing, and I'm still going. I want to finish, but I also want to go to bed soon. I'll try my best to get it done soon.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Outcome: "Win"
Record: 124-10
Streak: Won 6
Summary: I started working on my novel again today. It was surreal. I actually had two dreams that I fucked up and slept through my writing time. I think subconsciously I am fearing this. Oh well, as I've said before, I could care less what my emotions do. I looked over my progress to date, organized my computerized work, and reread the section on novels in How to Read a Book.
I want to make something clear concerning my novel. This is personal work. It is not a project. It fulfills no moral obligation. It does not occur on a time-line. My design, planning, and possible political work will fulfill my moral obligation to society, but this is private and sacred. I'll talk about it on here, but I'm going to give this thing as much time as it needs, and I am not going to use any words like, "dominate", "champion", "kick-ass" or anything like that to talk about.
After my book hour, I did my normal stuff, biked, worked, weighed in at 173.4, completed two lessons in French, perused le monde online, biked again, and now I'm off to class.
Tolstoy said something along the lines of "life is what happens when changes occur". Today I changed my lunch from falafel sandwiches to Trader Joe's instant Indian cuisine. I love it. It rejuvenated me in a way, and I'm actually looking forward to lunch again.
Derek: I understand that daily progress can be repetitive, but I find that it's helpful to me to report it, partially in order to help sustain ourselves for the long haul. Also, I gain motivation every time I see someone else's post because, aside from the details, it is a simple manifestation of the fact that someone out there gives a shit and is striving to do something. Plus, you could talk about things you learned concerning the general arts of time management and psychology. It doesn't all have to be facts.
Record: 124-10
Streak: Won 6
Summary: I started working on my novel again today. It was surreal. I actually had two dreams that I fucked up and slept through my writing time. I think subconsciously I am fearing this. Oh well, as I've said before, I could care less what my emotions do. I looked over my progress to date, organized my computerized work, and reread the section on novels in How to Read a Book.
I want to make something clear concerning my novel. This is personal work. It is not a project. It fulfills no moral obligation. It does not occur on a time-line. My design, planning, and possible political work will fulfill my moral obligation to society, but this is private and sacred. I'll talk about it on here, but I'm going to give this thing as much time as it needs, and I am not going to use any words like, "dominate", "champion", "kick-ass" or anything like that to talk about.
After my book hour, I did my normal stuff, biked, worked, weighed in at 173.4, completed two lessons in French, perused le monde online, biked again, and now I'm off to class.
Tolstoy said something along the lines of "life is what happens when changes occur". Today I changed my lunch from falafel sandwiches to Trader Joe's instant Indian cuisine. I love it. It rejuvenated me in a way, and I'm actually looking forward to lunch again.
Derek: I understand that daily progress can be repetitive, but I find that it's helpful to me to report it, partially in order to help sustain ourselves for the long haul. Also, I gain motivation every time I see someone else's post because, aside from the details, it is a simple manifestation of the fact that someone out there gives a shit and is striving to do something. Plus, you could talk about things you learned concerning the general arts of time management and psychology. It doesn't all have to be facts.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Outcome: "Win"
Record: 123-10
Streak: Won 5
Summary: I completed Artist's Way! 12 weeks of work--we'll see how it pays off. Woke up at a leisurely time; ate scones, tea, and an omelet while listening to jazz; wrote my morning pages; did some other stuff--went grocery shopping, got ice cream. It was a fun day. Eva and I went into one of her friend's dorm rooms, and it hit me how much I miss college. Your meals are taken care of for you, your room is small and paid for, there's no substantial cleaning, your job is to read all day. That really was glorious. The last year and half has been way less awesome than college.
Week in Review: I started my 100-days challenge, and I showed some great resolve right from the start. I bought that drafting board, which was huge, so this week should be a little more relaxed. The key thing I want to improve upon next week is sleep. Sleep is #1. I need to take care of that.
My schedule is going to change a little bit since I completed Artist's Way. I'm going to write from 6-7, at least Mon-Thurs, if not Mon-Fri. I definitely need to do that on Monday and Wednesday because of class. I'm going to experiment with different things to see how I can work that in. The important thing is that I get 6 hours per week on the book (6 solid hours!). I really like the idea of doing them first thing in the morning, because I've gotten used to being creative as soon as I wake up, and it's peaceful in the house at that time. Plus, if I finish my writing for the day as soon as I wake up, bam!, I've already started my day like a champion. If I don't have a huge amount of work to do on Friday night, and I need extra sleep, I'll probably let myself sleep in. Actually, no that's not true, maybe I'll do morning pages and then write in the afternoon. We'll see.
I really really really want to have a clear Saturday night next week. It hasn't happened yet since I started my most recent schedule. Each interruption is legitimate, but it's crazy that there has been an anomaly every week. I can't foresee anything for this week, but something could easily come up. Oh actually, I think the employee appreciation party for my work is this Saturday, so there you go, it's a nice thing, and I look forward to it, but no free Saturday next week either.
So I want to continue my wins, get a good hour in on my book every morning, get 8 hours of sleep each night, and complete all of my work by Friday night (except Saturday's hour of writing).
Record: 123-10
Streak: Won 5
Summary: I completed Artist's Way! 12 weeks of work--we'll see how it pays off. Woke up at a leisurely time; ate scones, tea, and an omelet while listening to jazz; wrote my morning pages; did some other stuff--went grocery shopping, got ice cream. It was a fun day. Eva and I went into one of her friend's dorm rooms, and it hit me how much I miss college. Your meals are taken care of for you, your room is small and paid for, there's no substantial cleaning, your job is to read all day. That really was glorious. The last year and half has been way less awesome than college.
Week in Review: I started my 100-days challenge, and I showed some great resolve right from the start. I bought that drafting board, which was huge, so this week should be a little more relaxed. The key thing I want to improve upon next week is sleep. Sleep is #1. I need to take care of that.
My schedule is going to change a little bit since I completed Artist's Way. I'm going to write from 6-7, at least Mon-Thurs, if not Mon-Fri. I definitely need to do that on Monday and Wednesday because of class. I'm going to experiment with different things to see how I can work that in. The important thing is that I get 6 hours per week on the book (6 solid hours!). I really like the idea of doing them first thing in the morning, because I've gotten used to being creative as soon as I wake up, and it's peaceful in the house at that time. Plus, if I finish my writing for the day as soon as I wake up, bam!, I've already started my day like a champion. If I don't have a huge amount of work to do on Friday night, and I need extra sleep, I'll probably let myself sleep in. Actually, no that's not true, maybe I'll do morning pages and then write in the afternoon. We'll see.
I really really really want to have a clear Saturday night next week. It hasn't happened yet since I started my most recent schedule. Each interruption is legitimate, but it's crazy that there has been an anomaly every week. I can't foresee anything for this week, but something could easily come up. Oh actually, I think the employee appreciation party for my work is this Saturday, so there you go, it's a nice thing, and I look forward to it, but no free Saturday next week either.
So I want to continue my wins, get a good hour in on my book every morning, get 8 hours of sleep each night, and complete all of my work by Friday night (except Saturday's hour of writing).
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