New Year, New Beginnings - 2017 Edition

I took quite the hiatus while I finished up my MFA. I needed to focus on what my next steps were. The good news is I took the plunge and started my own business - Exceptional Editorial, LLC. I haven't double-checked my receipts and expenses against the revenue for 2016, but tentatively I think I made a small profit!

Looking back at my resolutions for 2016, I know I didn't accomplish many of them. The priorities in my life started to shift dramatically as I finished up my MFA - I wanted to focus on publication and working to find a way to better have the time and energy to write and create.

Let's look at what I said last year (2016), re: goals.

1. Knit (or finish) at least two projects from kits or Craftsy classes. I'm working on Drachenfels and should finish it shortly after the New Year. I have other projects like Lunaris, Tunisian Crochet Multi-Garment, Tree of Life Afghan, Beyond Basic Broomstick Lace (class), My First Raglan Cardigan (class, plus I bought the kit), Shawlscapes by Stephen West (class), and Choose Your Own Sweater Adventure (class), among others.
   
   Nope. Didn't even finish Drachenfels. It's at like 280+ stitches per row and living in a project bag/time out because it doesn't bring me joy. I did, however, go the entire year without buying any yarn. Complete cold sheep success. The only yarn that came in was a free sample I got with my book order from Knitpicks and a skein that was a gift from my sister. Otherwise, I worked on knitting down the stash.
   
2. I want to finish my MFA thesis by the end of next year. I have sent in my thesis proposal and I'm waiting to see if it was approved or not. I'm hoping to finish by August, but I'm giving myself an extra semester in case my proposal is not accepted in January.
   
   I finished and defended two weeks before my grandfather died. I've been sending the finalized project off to publishers for consideration. If I don't get any bites by May or June, I'll spend some time this summer revising.
   
3. Unread Books Project. Moving twice in less than two months, I realized I have a lot of books, many of which I have dragged state to state, all unread. So, to remedy this, the Unread Books Project is me picking at least one book per week to read for fun and/or pleasure from the stack of books that have sat and sat and sat in my home. To achieve this goal, I will read 45 to 52 books over the course of the year and do a biweekly or monthly report on what I've read. I also want to recall when and where I bought the book (or was gifted the book) when writing up which book or books I've finished.
   
   I put the blog on hiatus and with it, the unread books project. I'm still pretty burned out from reading after the PhD and MFA programs. I've been gifted several books I'm genuinely excited to read, so I'm hoping to get back in the saddle as far as reading in 2017.

I didn't really accomplish as much as I wanted. It's OK. I made a lateral move at work to a position that is far less stressful and, so far, has been very rewarding. I'm still shocked I managed to land two clients within a month of putting up my shingle. I'm grateful.

I also joined Instagram. I post knitting pictures, because knitting really brings me joy. I finished a very sweet sweater that was a free pattern from Lion Brand. I borrowed my mom's Knitting Workshop by Elizabeth Zimmermann to make a baby surprise jacket. I cast on today and hope I can follow the older-style instructions.

I don't know what goals I want to set for myself this year. I've got a lot of energy going into a lot of places. I find that very few of my goals get accomplished because my priorities dramatically shift. I'm going to focus on a few attainable touchstones rather than goals for 2017:

1. Continue working on decluttering my new house. I've got limited space and too much stuff to fit comfortably in it. I'll continue to cold sheep - no new yarn unless I have a specific project I will start right away. It's the seduction of potential - these papers/markers/yarn could all become something. The siren song of making and doing is difficult to ignore.
2. Keep working on Exceptional Editorial. I would love to make a profit three out of five years for tax purposes.

Here's to 2017.

2015 New Year's Resolutions - A Review and Prep for 2016 New Year's Resolutions

As I started this blog last year, I set out three categories for my 2015 New Year's resolutions: personal, professional, and academic.

In the personal realm, I had six goals: knit at least two patterns from books I already own using yarn I've already purchased; lose weight and maintain that weight at 159 pounds or less by next year; exercise at least two days per week; decide whether or not to pursue a technical writing certificate concurrently with my MFA; submit to least three literary journals by the end of the spring semester; and plan a trip around the world.

Of the six personal goals, I accomplished four.

I did knit at least two patterns from books I already own with yarn I've already purchased. Those patterns were the $5 in Paris, Baby Cozy, and the Firefly Dishcloth.

I did not lose weight, but considering my engagement ended and life was thrown into complete chaos, I'm happy I maintained my current weight of 180 pounds and didn't go up much further.

I'm not exercising two days a week, but I am walking to and from work at least three days a week. I'm also consistently getting at least 10,000 steps per day.

I decided to pursue the technical writing certificate and I should finish by May or June 2016.

I submitted to several literary journals, resulting in three publications (two in the same week)!

I did not plan a trip around the world, but I will revisit it once my two year commitment to my current job expires.

My five professional goals were to continue improving my editing skills and knowledge of AP Style; improve workflow processes; find more opportunities for professional development; be the best mentor I can be; and to figure out how to keep my job while taking a trip around the world.

I think the professional goals were the least completed, as I decided the best way to improve workflow processes and find more opportunities for professional development was to pursue a new opportunity closer to my family.

I'm really happy in my new position. I do some editing, but it's more office management and organization. Again, it's a better fit; the job moves faster and I am trusted to do my job, which is what made my last job a poor fit. I'm not looking at doing a world trip for a few more years since I've decided to come back home.

With the academic goals, I set four. I only accomplished one. My four goals were to apply for graduate school scholarships in January; apply for the staff scholarship in August; maintain a 3.5 GPA; and figure out how to maintain my staff tuition discounts while traveling the world.

I did not apply for scholarships - school or staff. I didn't feel I had a connection with any of the professors at that time, and I didn't feel I could trust any of the professors to write and turn in a letter of recommendation on time. I didn't apply for the staff scholarship in August because I knew I was resigning from my position. Since I no longer work where I worked, the staff discount is moot.

I did, however, maintain my GPA as a 4.0, which made me really happy considering I was working full time and really busy moving at the beginning of the fall semester.

Looking back at the goals I set and met and set and missed, I am certain the problem is there were too many goals in too many categories. The goals that became priorities were the goals that had the most importance to me.

For that reason, instead of three categories, I'm going to go with three goals for the year. It's easier to keep track of and it's easier to envision the final result.

My New Year's Resolutions for 2016 are as follows:

1. Knit (or finish) at least two projects from kits or Craftsy classes. I'm working on Drachenfels and should finish it shortly after the New Year. I have other projects like Lunaris, Tunisian Crochet Multi-Garment, Tree of Life Afghan, Beyond Basic Broomstick Lace (class), My First Raglan Cardigan (class, plus I bought the kit), Shawlscapes by Stephen West (class), and Choose Your Own Sweater Adventure (class), among others.
2. I want to finish my MFA thesis by the end of next year. I have sent in my thesis proposal and I'm waiting to see if it was approved or not. I'm hoping to finish by August, but I'm giving myself an extra semester in case my proposal is not accepted in January.
3. Unread Books Project. Moving twice in less than two months, I realized I have a lot of books, many of which I have dragged state to state, all unread. So, to remedy this, the Unread Books Project is me picking at least one book per week to read for fun and/or pleasure from the stack of books that have sat and sat and sat in my home. To achieve this goal, I will read 45 to 52 books over the course of the year and do a biweekly or monthly report on what I've read. I also want to recall when and where I bought the book (or was gifted the book) when writing up which book or books I've finished.

Let's see how 2016 goes.

Knitting Project Out of Timeout

I had a New Year's Resolution to knit at least two patterns from books, patterns, and yarn I already owned. When I started unpacking at my current one-bedroom mother-in-law suite, I realized how hard it is to downsize from a three-bedroom house into a one-bedroom space.

The truth is I get seduced by the potential for things and the possibility of things rather than the practical use for something. So, I have a lot of yarn because I think of all the possibilities for that yarn and how much money I'm saving on that yarn right this very minute, rather than thinking about what pattern or how much yarn it would actually take to make something I would want to own or gift.

The result is bins upon plastic bins of yarn. Realistically, I own more yarn right now than I could try and knit up in a year or two. A lot of the yarn is acrylic, which is very common for beginning knitters to accumulate.

I'm still knitting the pink monstrosity of a baby blanket. The baby's been born, but at this rate, I'll never get it done in time and I'm just wanting to get it done and over with so I never have to see it in a project bag again.

About three or four weeks ago, I had a major setback with my Drachenfels. I skipped a line in the pattern and after I had finished the entire stripped section, I counted my stitches and was so far off that I could really understand what had happened. Even missing the increase in every row would not have left me as off as the stitch count was. It turns out I missed an entire solid section increase in Part A.

I had to rip back 30 rows. The project has been in timeout ever since, mostly because it was so stressful to tink back so far. It needed some time off.

I'm trying to finish up the Drachenfels so I can start on the Honey Cowl for my grandmother for Christmas. I did promise her a few months ago. I've picked out a lovely, dark blue yarn for the project. I think the Honey Cowl should be a quick knit, but I also don't want tons of unfinished projects laying about the house.

I wound one skein of the yarn for the Honey Cowl. I debated doing the second, but I also don't want to set myself up for disappointment. I think I'll get together all the stuff for the Honey Cowl and start casting on tonight. I doubt I'll finish an entire skein of yarn in this pattern tonight. If I do, I'll switch over to my Drachenfels.

In my personal life, my parents met my main lover today. It went well. I went on a date yesterday to the zoo and went with my main lover to the zoo today. Met a lot of his friends. It went well. It's his birthday tomorrow, so I'll be popping my head in to wish him well on his 21st. Yes, I'm aware of the age difference. Hush now.

Moving Can (and Does) Get Worse

My coffee table did not survive the move. The weight of the boxes on top of it made the legs collapse, which caused the box (with canned goods) underneath it to be crushed, which caused the liquid in the canned goods to spill, which caused the wardrobe box and several other boxes to become soaked, which caused the clothes and books and papers to mildew.

This means I'm not leaving a five-star review for the moving company that packed up and loaded my POD in Texas.

On the plus side, not too many books were ruined, and the stuff that was ruined is well below my $500 deductible, so it's not really worth making a claim and raising my insurance rates.

I can see the carpet again. Small progress. It's overwhelming still. I'm trying to ferret out which boxes were ruined and which boxes have wet bottoms or wet things in them thanks to the collapse and domino effect.

This next week will be dealing with my car and the driver's test and the insurance and the PO box and and and and and. I'll manage to get it all done, but it's exhausting to think about.

I'm shocked at how much crafting stuff I have. Now that I'm in a smaller space, seeing all the bags and bins of yarn, notions, and tools made me realize that I have way more stuff for knitting than I thought and that I really need to honor my goals and New Year's resolutions to knit down my stash before adding more to it. Then again, I just bought three kits' worth of yarn from Craftsy and that box arrived. The yarn is so squishy and lovely, but looking at how much yarn I have, I really can't order from there (or anywhere else) for a long time.

My mom offered to mail my ex's box to him and I took her up on it. I don't have the time to mail it off and get everything for work done while also trying to set up my legal residence. It doesn't help that I don't have a lease the government would really call a lease. I have an email. I doubt an email will be acceptable to the DMV and/or U.S. Post Office. So, I'm going to get my insurances switched over to my new state and go from there.

On the plus side, my Friday bowling date (followed by an impromptu walk in the park and then coffee at Powell's on Burnside) went well. Not sure I'm feeling anything romantic for the guy, but I am enjoying his company.

I'm unpacking. I'm settling in. I'm trying to make this home.

Checking in on New Year's Resolutions

It's almost June. How that happened is beyond me.

I wanted to revisit  where I am with my New Year's goals.

Personal:

Knit at least two patterns from books I already own using yarn I've already purchased.

• Halfway there. Knit one pattern from a books I already own with yarn I specifically bought.
• I am probably going to try and knit a linen top I bought a pattern and yarn for last year over the summer. I feel much more confident in my knitting and fixing skills to actually knit the liaison tee or $5 in Paris.

Lose weight and maintain that weight at 159 pounds or less by next year.

• hahahhahahahahahaaa. No. Not happening. The best I got down to was 165 and now I'm back up to 175. I'm trying. And failing.

Exercise at least two days per week.

• I skipped yoga for a few weeks over finals. I'm averaging about 5,000 steps a day on my Fitbit, which isn't great, but isn't terrible. No, I am not even close to meeting this goal.

Decide whether or not to pursue a technical writing certificate concurrently with my MFA.

• This got put completely on the back burner while I am sorting out my personal and professional life. I'll have an answer by late June about this. I'll have to apply for the spring rather than the fall, but that's okay.

Submit to at least three literary journals by the end of the spring semester.

• NAILED IT. I applied to Rattle, Georgia Review, Gigantic Sequins, and the Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry fellowship.
• I plan on continuing to submit and will be submitting a short story to Asimov's by the end of the summer. It needs more work, but I think I have a solid start on what will be an interesting tale.

Plan a trip around the world.

• Also on the back burner while I deal with personal issues. I wish I could go into more detail, but I'll have answers about my personal life by mid-June and will be able to either move forward in my relationship or move forward as an individual.

Professional:

1. Continue improving my editing skills and knowledge of AP Style. - Check.
2. Improve workflow processes. - Working on this.
3. Find more opportunities for professional development. - Actively working on this.
4. Be the best mentor I can be. - Check. I absolutely nailed this goal with Project IMPACT. It was incredibly rewarding on a personal and professional level and I can't wait to continue my mentoring relationship with my current mentee and to mentor a new student next year.
5. Trip around the world/keeping job - On the back burner until I figure out my personal life.

Academic:

1. Apply for graduate school scholarships in January. - Failed. Wasn't sure if I qualified as staff with my tuition discount, so I didn't pursue anything.
2. Apply for the staff scholarship in August. - Pending personal life resolving itself.
3. Maintain a 3.5 GPA - So far so good, still waiting on final grades from spring, but I know two classes are A's, so ... can't be that bad in the other two.
4. Staff tuition discounts/travel - On hold because of my personal life.

So, some goals are going better than others. This is the first year I've really thought about what I wanted to accomplish in 12 months. I'm proud I'm continuing to blog weekly (sorry this is a later Sunday post than usual) and I'm proud that I'm improving my digital footprint by generating content for Blogger and Twitter.

All in all, my personal goals are going better than my professional ones, but once I have some answers in June, I'll be able to move forward with my life.

Margaret Atwood retweeted me!!!

I've got finals to write this weekend and a lot of social events, so I'm going to keep up the spirit of my New Year's Resolution and doing a brief weekly post.

Margaret Atwood retweeted me this week! Squee!!!

Margaret Atwood retweeted me this week. Day made.

Mini update

This past week has been midterms for me, so I have been rather busy. I still have a few discussion board posts to write and reply to before midnight, but overall, online classes are in good shape. The first chapter of my novel went over very well and several people wanted to see the second chapter as my second project for the course.

I am still working on my New Year's Resolution of using yarn and patterns I already own when making projects. I am almost done with the Bunny Blankie, but the daisy stitch is really repetitive and I don't think I'll have enough yarn to make the full 44-inch length. I needed a couple of weeks away from it because I was getting tired of the whole thing.

I did, however, finish the baby cozy, but I still have to sew on the hook and loop tape (Velcro) since I decided to forgo the buttons. I also started the hat that goes with the pattern, learning how to do an I-cord in the process. It's looking like 420 yards of sport weight yarn will be enough for the whole project, which did not take that long and if the Velcro modification works out well, then it may become my go-to baby gift.

I am working on incorporating more exercise into my week. The dog's daycare has new, longer hours, making it easier for me to get 20 to 30 minutes of exercise in before work. Since I made by twice-a-week workout goal for a month, I treated myself to a Fabletics outfit (full disclosure: I get $10 in credit if you sign up using that link).

I don't do buy from Fabletics often, and I've had one pair of leggings I bought have the crotch rip out during yoga, but overall, I've liked the outfits. It's a pick-me-up. It's harder than I thought to maintain exercise in my routine when I work full time and have four classes this semester. Then I come home to the invisible labor of making dinner, cleaning the house, doing laundry ... it's all exhausting.

The dog started limping on her other front paw on Tuesday and when my partner took her in to the vet on Thursday, the vet upped the dog's pain pills. The second round of chemo is a pill and done at home. We have to wear gloves and wash our hands since it's radioactive.

We took the dog on a three-mile walk yesterday. It's great to see her so happy and energetic. Well worth the cost of chemo to combat this canine lymphoma.

Today, I will knit at home instead of going to my knitting group because my knitting partner is visiting an ill family member, head over to the gym in my new outfit, go to Costco afterward, and work on homework and essays for the rest of the day. The weekends just seem to fly by.

Second Semester of the MFA Started; New Year's Goals Update

My second semester in the online MFA started Tuesday. I'm a special kind of masochist, so I'm taking four classes this term. So far, it's not too much to handle, but I do find it difficult to fully engage with four digital classrooms of discussion boards.

It's particularly hard to engage in some of my online classes because it has become increasingly clear there is little to no departmental-level support for online course development. As is such, some classes are extremely well developed and integrate universally accepted best practices, while others, well, others have instructors who struggle with the basics of the Learning Management System (LMS).

I guess one thing that pisses me off about the explosion in the digital classroom environment in the U.S. is how many people in universities across the country are running online programs, persons who have never, ever ever ever in their lives taken an online course. Not even a Coursera course. These are jobs I've applied to and I have taken far, far more online courses than the people the institutions end up hiring, and what is the result? A mediocre digital class experience for the students.

It's hard to separate my professional jealousy of being shut out of the academy with being a student again. I try to keep the fact I already have a doctorate under wraps, especially in courses where it is clear the faculty member is out of his or her depth.

Anyways, to my New Year's resolutions for 2015.

I have started one knitting project using yarn I already own and a pattern I already have. I am about 40 percent of the way done with the blanket, although the project has been plagued by several knots and frays in the yarn. This means more ends to weave in and it is becoming increasingly frustrating to knit with this yarn. I'm used to a knot or something, but I've found three knots in the yarn (as in the yarn broke and was tied at the factory) and one spot where the yarn was not properly/completely twisted.

I am working on being more active and losing weight. My fiance bought me a Fitbit (my request) for a belated Christmas present, and so far, I'm not showing any signs of a nickel allergy. I've also managed to get below 170 pounds for the first time since my synthroid dose was halved. Hooray! The Fitbit showed me that I was far less active at work than I thought I was. Oops.

I am going to ask my new boss for personal development funds to cover the two classes for the technical writing program that fall outside my MFA degree. Based on the current class I am taking, the courses in the technical writing program are very well designed and developed. I would like to take more of them, assuming they are all as well done as the one I am taking now.

If I can get these professional development funds, then I will pursue the technical writing certificate concurrently with my MFA.

I'll be applying to the scholarships in a few weeks; I'll have to check with HR to make sure I'm permitted to apply for student scholarships when I receive a staff discount on my education.

I'm still working out how to do this world trip. Don't have any details or specifics, but there was a hiccup today as far as the finances when I ended up needing brakes and my power steering fluid flushed along with what I thought was going to be "just an oil change" at the dealership.

I'm also maintaining this blog. I'm trying to make sure I meet my weekly update schedule, which is why I'm finishing this at 2 a.m. before I go to sleep.

New Year's Resolutions - 2015

One of the most important things I learned when I was in graduate school for my doctorate was how to set reasonable goals. It is very easy to beat yourself up when you perceive yourself to be less capable, competent, or talented as someone else.

The truth is everyone is engaging in the "I was up alllll night working on ..." or "My work is sooooo great" game of one-upmanship.

One thing that people do is set themselves up for failure. By not setting reasonable goals, they say, "Look, I've failed again." This feeds into Imposter Syndrome: if you never reach your goals, of course you're a fraud.

My (hopefully) reasonable goals for 2015 are as follows:

Personal:

1. Knit at least two patterns from books I already own using yarn I've already purchased.
2. Lose weight and maintain that weight at 159 pounds or less by next year.
3. Exercise at least two days per week.
4. Decide whether or not to pursue a technical writing certificate concurrently with my MFA.
5. Submit to at least three literary journals by the end of the spring semester.
6. Plan a trip around the world.

Professional:

1. Continue improving my editing skills and knowledge of AP Style.
2. Improve workflow processes.
3. Find more opportunities for professional development.
4. Be the best mentor I can be.
5. Figure out how to keep my job while taking a trip around the world.

Academic

1. Apply for graduate school scholarships in January.
2. Apply for the staff scholarship in August.
3. Maintain a 3.5 GPA.
4. Figure out how to maintain my staff tuition discounts while traveling the world.