Dear Friends,

I need to take a break from Love Life Project.

I first started blogging because I wanted to make a shift from consumer to creator; I wanted to write.

Lately, however, I find that blogging has become an excuse not to write. I've spent hours writing posts and responding to comments while my novel remains unwritten. Besides, when I look back on the past few months of posting, I've mostly been linking to other people's stuff. I haven't created any content that I'm proud of on this blog for a while now.

I will probably put up a new post here every once in a while, but for now I need to take a step back. I want to focus on writing my novel and on being more present in the world.

Thanks to all of you for reading and connecting with me over the past year!

Cheers,
Stephanie

P.S. I will still be posting a new clay story every week-ish on Clay Baboons, so I hope that you'll follow me there!


In this week's story we learn that honesty is the best policy. Unless, of course, you're trying to avoid taking responsibility for your actions.

Here There Be Monsters

Click here to read a story about my Dad battling a giant ant.

It's My Bloggiversary! And Also, I Ran.

Yesterday was my one-year bloggiversary! Thank you for visiting my blog, whether you've been around since the start or whether you're a new reader.

In my very first post, The Me That I Want to Be, I shared a picture of my disaster of a desk:


And here's what my desk looks like one year (plus one day) later:


It's a million times better! No, really. Yes, it's a mess, but that's because I'm in the middle of making the creatures for my next clay story. Once I'm done, they'll all get tucked away in those plastic drawers. The only mess on my desk is what's currently in use, and a dirty glass from the smoothie that I finished just before snapping the picture. This is a major improvement. Go, me!


My newest clay story, by the way, won't be posted until tomorrow. Why? Because giant ants are really hard for me to make, that's why. I may have gotten annoyed and flattened this one's predecessor with the side of my fist.
And also, I ran...

Last night, I stepped on the treadmill for the first time in almost three weeks. My three-week hiatus was due to being on holidays (weeks 1 and 2) and being lazy (week 3). I was a bit nervous and I considered repeating a few weeks from the Couch to 5K program, but in the end I just decided to just pick up where I left off, at week 6 day 1.

And it was easy!

OK, so I was running really really slowly. Reeeeeaaaaally slowly. But still, I fully expected to be exhausted and cranky and miserable.

Instead, the time flew by.

Of course, that might have something to do with my newest television obsession:


For the past several years, a few of my girlfriends have been insisting that I watch Dexter. I found season 1 on Netflix and decided that it would be my newest running show. And now, after the first episode, I'm already in love.

(With the show. Not with the psychopathic serial killer. It would just be weird to be in love with a psychopathic serial killer...although I will admit that I might have a bit of a crush on him.)


Still, I'm pretty sure that Morgan would catch him. Eventually.
I'm proud of myself for being able to jump back on the treadmill and pick up where I left off. I really am committed to finishing the Couch to 5K program this time, after having started and stopped over a dozen times in the past few years.

And I can't wait until Wednesday, so that I can get on the treadmill again and find out what happens on Dexter. I mean...that Barbie doll? All cut up in his freezer? Gah!

And you know who else motivated me to run? Flat Kitty, that's who.

Yes, he of the cat-in-a-Christmas-sweater fame arrived in my mailbox last week. (Thanks, Kristin...and congratulations on completing your marathon!)


Emergency stop? There will be no emergency stops.


Don't make me glare at you in disapproval.


And when you're finished with Dexter, I've got 144 more runs lined up for you.
So, in summary, my desk is less messy. And I ran. And also, I love my job so far (yes, I realize that I'm not supposed to put new information in a summary).

So, in a summary of the summary, life is good!

Happy Tuesday, friends!

I'm allowed to say "I'm so glad it's the weekend" for the first time in six months...

Thanks to all of you for your well wishes on my new job teaching adults! I'm really excited to be starting work on Monday. I'm feeling a bit nervous and overwhelmed, since it's so different from anything that I've ever done before. I think that I'll settle in quickly once I start, but for now I'm defitely feeling the first day jitters.

The strangest thing about starting work is that all of a sudden I'm much more motivated to do everything else. I took down all of the Christmas decorations yesterday. (What?) JP and I completely cleared out the storage room this morning and now he's off lugging six boxes of junk to the thrift shop. This afternoon's job is to rewire the entertainment centre in the basement.

I'm busy.

I'm doing stuff.

Let me just remind everyone that I haven't felt like doing much of anything over the past six months.

I really think that I'm a person who thrives on a certain amount of structure - just not too much of it. As much as I love the idea of making my own schedule and writing all day, it just doesn't happen. Instead, I mostly spend a lot of time feeling guilty for the precious time that I keep wasting.

Still, I need flexibility in my day. I don't want to be micromanaged and I don't want to have to spend most of my waking hours on tasks that someone else has assigned to me. Because this job is part-time, it allows me to both conform to someone else's schedule and to make my own.

I really hope to get a lot of writing done over the next few months.

How do you strike a balance between structure and flexibility? Do you have any secret tips that improve your ability to keep yourself on a schedule when there isn't anyone watching?

I can use all the help I can get...

And now, I want to share some illustrated blog posts that made me laugh this week:


This animated gif on The Oatmeal was laugh-out-loud funny and explained the SOPA issue in simple language.



SOPA and PIPA must be destroyed on Haley's Comic. I love the illustrations in this new-to-me blog!



The Skaters and the Ice Boat: a funny illustrated story (that has nothing to do with SOPA) from Happy or Hungry.


Down Low, Too Slow on Cheeseblarg featured JRose high fiving her favourite animals.



I responded by creating some clay high fives of my own. This one was my favourite.
Happy weekend everyone!