Tag Archives: bad habits

More Writing About Not Writing

It is well known that good habits are difficult to establish while one falls back into bad habits with ease and sometimes a sense of comfort.  Thus I continue late posts, making my Tired Tuesday post early Wednesday morning.  I have a very good Mohawk Valley adventure to write about, because I attended the Herkimer Downtown Chowdown with some friends on Monday.  However, I am letting that marinade in what is left of my brain.  A wise woman told me you can’t rush into these things (“these things” being any number of chores and tasks that arise) (by the way, the wise woman was my mother, the same wise woman who also said, “Oh well, what the hell”) (I know she was not the first so say it, but she may have been the first to say, “As a wise woman once said,” etc) (I stand by my story).

Where was I?

I guess it isn’t Tuesday any more.

This meme is now late, but is my favorite one to use in a Tired Tuesday post.  As you may have guessed, this will be another post where I rattle on for 200 words or so, hit Publish, and hope for the best.  I am so dreadfully tired all the time lately.  Perhaps I do not eat enough vegetables.

Me, questioning my path as a writer, or at least as a daily blogger.  

Of course this is not me.  It is Michael Douglas in Wonder Boys, a movie about writers, among other things.  He plays a blocked writer.  At least, not exactly blocked, because he has written over a thousand pages on his next book, but, well, it is complicated.  I have not written over a thousand pages of anything lately, and I have never written a thousand pages on one project.  That might be a good challenge for me:  write a thousand pages on something, anything.  They say anything that gets your pen moving is a good thing (as usual, no idea who “they” are).

No blockage of daisies.

I leave you with a picture of my prolific daisies.  They are symbolic of two things: spring, as in “hope springs eternal,” and sheer number.  May my writing flourish as my daisies!

 

Walking Back to the Blog

I have not posted in two weeks (I did the math: 14 days, then I looked at a calendar).  It just got easier and easier NOT to post!  And here is a philosophical question (whose answer will be half-baked, no doubt) suitable for a future Lame Post Friday post (if I can manage to keep posting that long):  why are good habits so hard to get back to and bad habits so easy?  I can go a week or two without eating chocolate (I can’t tell you the last time I actually did that, but I’m sure I can), then one little bite and I’m all, “YUM!  Why did I ever stop this?”

Full disclosure:  right now as I ten-finger type on my dining-room-table-top, I am a bit,  “This is awesome!  Why did I ever stop this?”  Yet I cannot guarantee I will be here tomorrow morning at this time doing the same thing.  But, as I said, these questions are for Lame Post Friday.

The current state of my blog.

As I often do at these times,  I throw in a picture to pep things up.  On Sunday (today is Tuesday, but the way; I mention it because my WordPress timestamp does not always jive) I took a walk with my camera, taking a few pictures, thinking to make a Pedestrian Post.  These rotting pumpkins caught my eye. I thought it was a brave smile, such as I feel myself giving these days (my teeth are in about as good shape).  At least this one has not started molding on the inside.  I once saw a really scary one with its mouth wide open to a black interior.  Alas that I had no phone or tablet with me at the time.

A nice place. I should join.

My walk continued and eventually I went past the Herkimer Elks Lodge, the site of my recent theatrical triumph (I feel I do not flatter myself as I give most of the credit to my fellow actors), Lights, Camera, Murder!  Imagine my chagrin when I discovered there were several other murder mysteries with the same title.  These things happen, I suppose, and I have heard you cannot copyright a title.

Why isn’t he in his cell? Is it a jail break?

Because I am still (let’s face it: almost always) in Halloween mode, I took a shot of the ghost of Chester Gillette peeking out of the 1824 Jail.  I guess it is not technically a ghost, but I think it has a nicely creepy air to it.

I see I am over 400 words.  That is long for one of my posts!  I hope I can get back into daily blogging. I may even waste a post detailing why I was away for so long, but as I often note, explanations are tiresome.  I sincerely thank you for tuning in.

 

Is This an OK Blog Post?

Well, I’ve been sitting here with my laptop on, you know, my lap, hoping I could somehow magically make a blog post without thinking about it too much.  I guess I didn’t really think that would happen, but I was hoping my stomach would stop hurting and I would start feeling a little less tired.  Oh dear, there I go whining again.  Sorry about that.

Ooh, here’s something to have some Monday Middle-aged Musings about:  why do I complain so much and how can I stop?  I’ll answer the second part first.

Complaining is basically a bad habit, and I have heard of a few good ways to stop bad habits.  One very simple way is: when you notice yourself doing the bad habit, stop.  Really, I read this somewhere.  It is a matter of being aware of what you are doing and choosing to do something else.  When I am complaining and notice I am doing so, the complaint has already been voiced.  So then I say, “And now I’m complaining too much so I’ll shut up.”  And then I try to (it is very difficult for me to not talk at all, but at least I say I’m going to).

Lately I have come up with a new technique.  I try to counteract the complaint by saying, “But that’s OK, because…”  and finding a silver lining or some such.  For example, if I have been lamenting the fact that I am at work when I would rather be home, I might say something like, “But that’s OK, because this is not a bad job.”  If I have been whining about feeling lightheaded, I often say, “But that’s OK, because at least I don’t have a headache.”  Sometimes a complaint will get, “But that’s OK, because… I don’t know why, but I’m sure it’s OK.”

Regarding why I complain so much, well, I am fond of saying, “Always go with your strengths.”  Who knows where these bad habits start? Sometimes it’s just the easiest thing to do.  For example, the bad habit I have gotten into lately of making these foolish blog posts.  Some of these posts are pretty bad.  But that’s OK, because somebody might like to read a bad foolish post.   I hope.