This month has been full of hope and new beginnings..and as it comes to a close I find myself looking forward to April and beyond.I plan to take two classes in the Fall at UNLV as a non-degree seeking student (NDSS), but registration doesn't commence until mid April. And NDSSs must wait until accepted students register before we can choose classes. So we'll see what I'm left with. As I mentioned in the last post, I'll be doing my best to work around my current work schedule, meaning cross your fingers that there will be some evening or late afternoon classes offered and still available. In addition, the classes available may have little or no relevance to my concentration of study, but hey, I'm just trying to prove to them I can do it. We'll have to wait and see. I haven't hit my parents up yet for the money because I want the exact amount right in front of me to show them. I'm not forseeing problems with that, but you know what happens when you don't expect the worst. Bingo! Disappointment.
To help combat a little of the above stress as well as get my health and body in shape, Mark and I started P90X (see last post for a little more info). We did a one week run through where we did the workouts and followed the diet program, getting our minds and bodies into the swing of things. We both saw results after just one week. Check out my fitness blo
g Lean & Mean: A Goth Girl's Guide to Getting Fit to see some "before" photos and how the first week went. I'm currently blogging about the second week, or moreover, the first "official" week. All I can say is that its amazing what changes you can make with proper diet and exercise.In other news, Mark had new plants and trees put in on Friday. His yard was fairly desolate, but finally its beginning to look more alive. And you all should know how much I miss "green" living in Las Vegas. Desert landscaping is tough if you want something besides rocks, cactus, or dry brown bushes. The soil is basically hard clay, actually caliche, pronounched ka-lee-chee. The weather is hot and dry and the choices are limited when it comes to plans and trees that will withstand such conditions. Mark enlisted the help of a local nursery to help him choose appropriately and get the new greenery transported and planted. He's been hard at work installing a drip system and I think the whole yard will come together nicely. As a bonus, Mark dedicated a section along a side wall for me to grow a couple vegetables and herbs. With a raised bed, I think I can do it. You'd think the idea of a vegetable garden in the desert might sound ridiculous, but many varieties of plants enjoy this type of climate and do rather well. I'm not going overboard...initially...and plan to start with tomatoes, red and green lettuce, spinach, and red and green chili peppers. For herbs, I'm going with basil, dill, and shallots. I chose these plants because I know I'll use them and since this is my first foray into gardening I wanted to keep it simple. The official planting date is mid April so you'll get to see how it goes. I know Shae and Maura garden so I hope you'll give me some helpful tips, guys!
In my inbox a few days ago I received an email to join a local Meetup called the Las Vegas Creative Fiction Writing Critique group. A long name for something fairly simple. Writers helping other writers with positive criticism. I took it as a sign to get my writing back in gear. Even though the group is not necessarily Romance specific, a few of the members write Romance, and most importantly the group leader, so I don't think I'd feel out of place. The group is dedicated to critiquing a
ny members work that wants it. I think I'm ready for this, and I'd actually like to hear some non-Romance readers' and writers' opinions as well. The first meeting is April 3rd @ 10am at a local Barnes and Noble. Check out the link Shae and anyone else if you're interested in joining, or if you'd like to see what Meetup.com is all about. I had to let my RWA and local Chapter memberships lapse due to lack of funds and since this is free, I hope it turns out to be something productive. I'll be letting you know how our first meeting goes.Off to work out.
Quote of the Day: The process of writing has something infinite about it. Even though it is interrupted each night, it is one single notation. ~Elias Canetti
2 comments:
Good to hear that you are going to take classes, I'm proud of your perseverance!
Let me know how your dill does. I've done really well with tomatoes, basil, sage and mint buy every time i try dill it dies on me. I love dill so I wish I could get it to grow.
Tell me how the meet up is, I'd love to go but I am swamped with Easter orders. Maybe next month?
Glad you are blogging again, maybe it will get me motivated.
Good luck with the garden. I want to do a vegetable garden someday but we have so many hungry critters around here that it really requires a lot of work. Deer are bunnies are beautiful and sweet but they are also bottomless and will eat everything from your garden unless you are willing to declare war and fight them off. Much as I love fresh veggies, I really don't want to have to do hand to hand combat with the local wildlife.
Again, good luck with the classes. I hope you get something good. Even if it's not in your field, learning something is always a good thing. And at the very least, you can try to use whatever it is as a subject for a novel...or maybe the instructor will be quirky and can be used as a supporting character.
Speaking of novels, I know I sound like a broken record but I haven't forgotten yours. "Dyann's Critique" is still on my to do list and I will get to it soon, I promise! I am so sorry it has taken me so long.
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