And now for some good news

With news of pretty drastic negative events happening around the world and some other stressful things going on in my world this week here is an update on three good things.

1. Physically good: I’ve been running once a week for a couple of months now, doing 3 – 3.5 miles until last week, when I increased the frequency to twice a week. Two days ago, I noticed my pants feeling loose again. That is both good and bad. Good because I’m losing body fat where it doesn’t really need to be, but bad because I don’t care for shopping for new pants as I apparently have a non-standard bottom (more butt than hips), so it can be depressing leaving a store with a new pair that is only a good-enough fit.

2. Mentally good: I’m about a quarter of the way through my Goodreads challenge of reading 36 books this year. I thought it would be a challenge and it is. I am right on pace if I hope to keep a steady progress, but it also stresses me out a little. I am glad for digital checkouts from the library, but the timing of arrivals can be a little nutty.

A few weeks ago I signed up for several books I wanted to read. Many of them required me to go onto a download waiting list. I read through the books I had downloaded already but at some point most of the other books on my list became available at the same time. I had a limited period to download all of them before they were unavailable again. Next I had a two-week period to read them after downloading before they expired.

If I didn’t have these books in audiobook format then I doubt I would have been able to finish them all. I am on a deadline to finish the last two books in the group by Tuesday, or else it’s back to the waiting list for me with that title. This precision download/reading process provides the majority of this challenge. I’m adding a new widget to my sidebar if you wish to track my progress at a glance.

3. Literally good: Good Magazine is a pretty cool resource that I stumbled across in the last month. A few gems from that site are below.
- an app that will identify currency for the blind
- a walking primer for Los Angelenos. This happens TODAY!
- tips to reduce food waste

They’re doing an Good LA community launch party next month, a nice event to check out for locals.

Next week I’ll be volunteering at the LA Marathon. If you’re running that one, best efforts to you and I’ll see you there!

rediscovered obsessions (part 1/5): reading

This is part 1 of a 5 part series. Without further ado, here is one of my newly rediscovered obsessions.

reading
This week I signed up for the Goodreads 2011 reading challenge. I haven’t done a reading challenge since elementary school. My goal is to read 36 books this year. That may seem like a lot or just a few depending on who’s reading this, but three books a month is very doable for me. I finished my first book tonight so 1 down, 35 more to go.

I’ve discovered the joys of my local library once again. And I don’t even have to physically go there. With my local public library card I can reserve or download books I want to read (via Adobe e-book reading software) or listen to (via Overdrive Media Console) and not worry about rushing to return books before the library closes, or deal with late fees. And a bonus: no paper cuts.

There are a few downsides. I had to download new software to listen to the audio books and to read the e-books on my computer, and my computer’s not the fastest thing in the world. Also, because of Digital Rights Management (DRM) issues, the books I download will expire at some point. I had some trouble getting the audio book software to work on my computer at first due to a DRM security incompatibility with my player. To resolve that, I ran a five-second web search and found a good solution to my apparently common error message. One that didn’t involve me potentially messing up any system files. Finally, the available title selection is more limited than, say, amazon.com. But hey, it’s a free library resource.

If you have a library card and want to try this service, just check your local county’s public library website. Los Angelenos, here’s the direct link to the audiobook and e-book library search.

What it takes to be financially fit: baby steps

The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness

Dave Ramsey

I finished Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover this weekend. In the book, he demonstrates the simple (but not so easy) Total Money Makeover (TMM) plan of getting out of debt and becoming financially fit by using baby steps. It's an inspiring read, except most of the time I felt like I was reading a not-so-subtle ad pitch for his other books, audio cds, etc. It had the feel of the type of ad in the back of a magazine that screams lines like "Find the cure for exhaustion on page 45! Take years off your life by doing this tiny step on page 98!" I didn't actually get to the first financial baby step until page 95 of the 223 page book. At the beginning of the book he's even written a section as if the reader is standing in a bookstore wavering on whether to spend money this book.Use filler copy much? My time is valuable. Let's cut to the chase, shall we?

I admit that I've never listened to his radio show, so perhaps this book is geared toward his avid followers and I just happened to have picked it up from my local library on a family member's recommendation, hence the emotional disconnect. Though anyone can and should follow this very valid advice he offers, I don't feel that I fit his target demographic (and no, a target demographic cannot be everyone). I get the impression that while he believes he's writing to everyone, he's really targeting married couples with kids who can afford the luxury of a stay-at-home spouse and who have somehow managed to get themselves tens of thousands of dollars of negative debt. Basically, people who now live like he used to live. That's not me. This probably puts me ahead of the game in some ways, but that's not my point here. My point is that I didn't relate to most of the anecdotes in the book, though he does have solid financial advice.

Overall I liked it, and I will focus on a couple of baby steps in 2010: save up a 3-6 month emergency fund and put 15% of my income toward retirement. I'd recommend it to anyone who's interested in learning about the TMM plan, but if there were a condensed version of the actual TMM steps without all the testimonials and shameless self/cross promotion then I would recommend that version a whole lot more.

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Goal for October: read a book!

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America

Barbara Ehrenreich

Read a book in a week or less. Read at least two books this month.
That will be twice as many as I read last month.
It is an attainable goal.

This weekend I finally had a chance to replace my (stolen) library card from summer. All my cash was spent at the previous stop– wait for it– the cleaners, and this library doesn't take credit cards. I didn't have enough pocket change to pay for the new card, but the clerk said I could take my replacement card now and pay next time, which was a pleasant surprise.
I stopped at the reference desk and inquired if the book, Nickel and Dimed, was available. The library's two copies had already been checked out. An extra copy will be sent to the branch so I can check it out by next weekend. This works out nicely because I have another book (a YA novel) to read while I'm waiting. Also, I found out that they take magazine donations. I have a few dozen that would be better off donated than chucked into the recycle bin.

Goal for next month: write a book!

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and now the reading list for March

good reads for the writer mind

Resolution: exercise more (creativity)

Though I want to say the novel is one of my favorite book formats, I don't recall reading a paper novel in years. I mentioned paper novel because my latest were read to me via audio books. That sounds crazy considering I attempt to write a novel every year for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and my goal is to get them published and printed in paperback format. If I really write for myself (i.e. create stories that I'd like to read), then why do I want so badly to get my work put into a format I don't really consume?

I'd like to think it's not because I'm a vain person. Theoretically wouldn't it be the same to print my work as a .PDF and just make it available for download? After all, I'd still be getting my creative ideas out there, right?  Emotionally and financially, no. It's not the same. There's something special to being able to hold a physical copy of my book that's for sale either in a bookstore or online with fancy options like one business day delivery.

With this literary arsenal I feel more prepared to jump into the editing process for my novels, so that they may actually see the light of day. I'm over halfway through with and really liking the top book, How to Tell a Story by Peter Rubie and Gary Provost. It's very much like taking an intensive course on creative writing with plenty of examples of successful stories that we know from classic books, movies, and even screenplays.

I've got a lot to read this month but after digesting this knowledge base it'll be a lot easier to move forward in the creative writing process.

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