Wow, I suck at writing.

Well, not writing exactly, but I suck at consistency. Perhaps that is how I should put it. So, obviously the training blog went well (see previous post). I did stick with the training, and ran the marathon, and am training for a second one ... so at least I stuck with that part of it. You would think, with all my spare time this blogging thing would be a no brainer. After all, I think to myself all the time that I want to be a writer.

About that. There are three things in particular that inspire me to write (excluding my bff's starting their own blog and mentioning me oh-so-graciously in it). The first: NPR, particularly This American Life. One, I wish Ira Glass were my Uncle. He is the best. Two, the stories are so simple, yet so insightful. I really enjoy that kind of writing, the kind where it is just an everyday story from someones everyday life, but it is super interesting because it is told in some simple yet profound way. And while it seems like it would be such a simple thing to do, I am aware that it is not.

The second thing that inspires me is reading books of essays such as David Sadaris or Sloan Crosley. Their writing is similar to This American Life in a way, it is usually just simple stories from their lives, but they are interesting. I have a deep yearning to be interesting.

The final thing is books on tape. Not any book on tape, but particularly the book Underworld by Tom DeLillo (review here: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,289625,00.html). I actually only got through the first set of discs for this one, it is a gynormous book. And while it made me start writing my own narrative in my head, often while listening to it, it also made me profoundly depressed (Christy actually had to talk me down from listening to the other half, I really wanted to but was concerned I would become suicidal). I am sure to complete that novel (both the listening as well as the one I began writing in my head while listening) I would need to go live in a shack in the woods for several months with only a typewriter and frozen burrito's and listen to the book over and over and over again. And aside from becoming incredibly fat from burritos, I would either become the unibomber or Virginia Woolf.

The problem with me writing anything LARGE, like a novel, is that I get incredibly overwhelmed by two things. One, is the enormity of the project. I don't do well with long term relationships (outside of my love life that is). The idea of working on one creative project for months or years sounds ... well ... awful. I would get sick of it. Or get interested in something else too quickly. I am ADHD in one area of my life and that is my creativity. Before I have even gathered my materials for one project, I have thought of another, and abandon the first. Rarely do I finish them.

The other bit that overwhelms me is the opening sentence. It is such an incredibly powerful thing and sets the entire tone of the novel. And first sentences live forever and can sometimes outweigh an entire book. After all, who remembers much about Moby Dick besides, "Call me Ishmael" and that there is a whale as a main character? (Here is a list of the 100 greatest first sentences in novels OF ALL TIME ... I think that author is full of themselves and their opinions ... http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2006/02/04/news/doc43e3e6b004381080724526.txt)
The entire idea of the opening sentence makes me so nervous, that by the time I rewrite it a dozen times, I have forgotten the outline of my entire premise.

By the way, the last opening sentence I wrote for my imagined novel that I will never write is this: She sat down at her typewriter, and stared at the blank wall in front of her.

Bleh.

For more thoughts on opening sentences to novels and whether or not they matter, read this article that I haven't read:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/34068

Training Log Wk1-Wednesday

Okay, no one reads this because I don't keep it up. Surprise. So I am going to use this as a training log because I hear it is a good thing to keep up. And heck, so far I am more committed to this than anything else I have done for a while. So here goes. Third day of training! So far I have done all of the runs. Well, I have done all of the miles, some have been on bike. Which they tell me is fine. We had a three mile run today and we actually (Jennie, Lindsey and I) ended up doing 3.6. We ran downtown and other than a rather steep disastrous trail that was a bit too long, I would say we did rather well.

I ate a powerbar about an hour before and drank...not enough water today. We ran about 11 min miles, which is a little slower for me but I felt really strong the whole way through. OH! And I did group power this morning, so my legs were already worked out. And then we swam for a bit after but it started raining.

I went to the doctors on Monday and he cleared me for training. He is getting all my "stats" down, resting heart rate, cholesterol, etc. while I am in great shape so he can "hold me to them". I like the challenge! He also gave me a great tip, take your resting heart rate lying in bed every morning and keep track. If you start over training your resting heart rate will rise. That is really helpful. Sometimes I can't tell if I am over training or just tired.

This post was a bit organized so hopefully that will improve!

All this green talk.

Okay, I am getting really annoyed at the city in which I live. I want very badly to be as green as I can. I want to do my part. But honestly, Greenville doesn't make it easy.

I am mostly talking about biking. Greenville has a huge cycling community but that is not reflected on the city streets. It is just an exercise or weekend hobby, not a means of transportation. I think it is a little ridiculous to mount your bike to the top of your SUV and drive 20 miles to where you are going to bike. I mean seriously.

This is all instigated by the fact that I want to be able to bike to work. I live THREE miles from work for goodness sake. It would save me gas money, it would be healthy for me AND it would be healthy for the environment. But there is simply not a good route for me to take! It just doesn't exist! I would have to cross the on/off ramps of 85 OR bike down a windy road that is known for it's speeding (2 lane, no sidewalk or shoulder by the way). I certainly can't justify risking my life for it!

Spartanburg recently earned a bronze medal from a national cycling organization for being cycle friendly...a goal that they set out to reach and actually put money (gasp!) into making happen.

Where does Greenville spend it's money? On patching up roads that should have been correctly paved 20 years ago, running those stupid trolleys downtown (the one part of the city that is compact enough and safe enough to walk around) and a bus system that they keep cutting because they aren't willing to put in enough money to actually make it WORK. We don't even have park and rides for goodness sake! Meanwhile everyone likes to complain about the traffic on Woodruff rd.

I think this blog may turn into a letter to the editor...or multiple editor's. Someone's attention needs to be turned to this. It is ridiculous!

And we are back.

Okay, so it has been a good six months or so since I have last blogged. I got a little caught up with every day life. So sue me. Besides, I would argue that keeping a blog is one of the most self centric things a person can do. After all, it is publishing your thoughts on the internet with the assumption that people want to read it. Yikes.

I think that I am at one of those cross roads in my life. I feel the ground shifting a bit and I am heading in a new direction. There are a few things that qualify this theory. I will get more into that as we go.

I have made a life change in my fitness levels. I have lost a ton of weight and am in shape for the first time in...really, my life. I am still not where I want to be but I will get there. I am running races on a regular basis. (To see pics of the latest go to http://flickr.com/photos/anjalog/sets/72157604869996119/). And I am gearing up to train for a marathon. Jeez. Never thought I would say that.

So with all that running comes time to think. It can be a dangerous thing for me to live inside my head for too long. So, I start considering the ways in which my life style and my ideals conflict. And no, this isn't about me being gay (somehow, that just never conflicted with anything, haha). I am working out this whole theory in my head. I will write about it when the time comes.

I am going to wrap this post up soon. I realize that no one wants to hear everything I haven't been saying for six months in one post. I will try to spread them out. But check back often, I have switched servers so you can actually see stuff now. Don't forget that my address has changed too. Now I am anjalog.blogspot.com...I think. What is at the top of your browser window dummy?

This is saturday night.

Hi all.

I am going to Atown tonight and while I am all jacked up on super sugar and booze I just want to say hello. Good news, I am writing a story about a Racoon with a difficult past. I hope you will all have a chance to read it soon. I will post it when it is finished.

I am also working on a rug. Yes a rug. I will post pictures soon of my progress. I am documenting the entire effort. Oh, and, I am still biding my time until I move out. I am trying to be smart about the money. Save save save. Yeah, so know I am going to spend money on booze. Peace out.

Anja

This isn't the first time...

I am feeling that good old sense of wanderlust. I get it every six months or so. The feeling that I want to move away, start a new life, the feeling that everything about me is boring and I want it to be new. I want a new job, a new place to live, a new look. I want to go where no one knows me and be who I want to be without judgement or repremand for changing in any way.

Don't get me wrong, the people around me are loving and supportive. It is that feeling of waiting for life to begin. This is all very cliche and I will probably regret writing it and possibly take down the post. After all it is very whiny and boring this talk about "wishing". The grass is always greener as they say.

I have mostly been using this so far to post pictures or funny stories, I don't really think of it as a blog. I mean, not in the journal, pour my heart out on the webpage kind of way. I don't have much interest in those, I mean, the truth is how much do you really want other people in your head? It is a very vunerable thing to do.

Here I go talking myself out of this. I am going to just hit post. But not before spell checking. I have three misspelled words after all.

The first set at least...

Here is the first set of Chicago trip pictures. Trust me...there will be plenty more. These are the ones Jenny took. For those of you who don't know, I went with Jennie and Tiffiny, both of whom are photographers. So basically, I didn't even bother. Enjoy! Oh, btw...There are 4 pages, I don't know why the photos aren't automatically going to the next page. So make sure you click the little numbers to see them all!