Building a Bucket List #36-42

Sunrise Sept 25th 2015

36. Visit San Juan Island National Historic Park

37. See a live performance of Newsies

38. Visit City of Rocks National Preserve

39. Visit Craters of the Moon National Monument

40. See a live performance of The Book of Mormon

41. Visit Hagerman Fossils Beds National Monument

42. See a live performance of The Lion King

Building a Bucket List #29-35

29. Visit Mount Rainier National Park

30. Hike to the summit of Mount St Helens

31. Visit North Cascades National Park

32. Go on a four-wheeling trip

33. Tour the Portland Underground

34. Visit Olympic National Park

35. See the Louvre

Writing Update Sept 18

I'm still working solely on Hive Mind at this point and I'm definitely falling back in love with writing.  I'm not sure that Hive Mind will ever get up to snuff but I'm learning a lot by going through the editing process. I can't wait until I get to start re-writing Outbreak. One of the challenges I've been having is that I've forgotten some of the details in earlier edits so I go back and read the sections. The real problem with that is that I can see how much work still needs to be done. I just have to keep reminding myself that there will be several more rounds of editing. At least I'm getting rid of the typos from NaNoWriMo.

For your entertainment, here is one of the more mangled sentences:
The converasation between the cousins was interrupted by the reappearanmce of Captain XCharles and Minerva. 

Except for the weekend when I went camping, I was able to consistently write each day. I also mostly made up the words from the weekend. This coming week I'll be writing a minimum of 200 words.

Statistics:
Words Written: 984
Scenes Outlined: 0

Works In Progress

Hive Mind (NaNoWriMo 2010) - Editing and Writing Second Draft

54657 / 90000

Thriller - Brainstorming and Outlining

0 / 50000

Outbreak (NaNoWriMo 2011) - Resting

54270 / 90000

Steampunk Seasonal Serial - Writing First Draft

15809 / 50000

A Guide to Inter-species Dating - Writing Rough Draft

1751 / 50000

Shattered Lives - Brainstorming and Outlining

181 / 50000

Greased Gears - Writing First Draft

9326 / 50000

Building a Bucket List #22-28

22. Publish a Novel

23. Weave a blanket

24. Read War and Peace

25. Visit Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park

26. Learn to drive a motorcycle

27. Go hang gliding

28. Visit the Oregon Caves National Monument

Weekly Weigh-In Sept 14

I'm up a little this week but I actually expected it since I was camping this weekend and was a bit sugar obsessed.  It be water weight so next week should have some major improvement as I step it up in my workouts.

Statistics:

Current Weight: 245.8 pounds
Last Week: 241.8 pounds

Weight Loss/Gain: 4.0 pounds gained

Starting Weight: 249.4 pounds
Highest Point: 249.4 pounds
Lowest Point: 238.4 pounds

Writing Update Sept 11

I'm working on maintaining a regular writing habit.  I've been letting my day job take over my life and I want to really work on carving out time and space for things that are important to me.  This week, my focus has been to write at least 100 words a day. Next week, my goal will be to write at least 150 words a day and I'll continue to increase the number of words until I reach a reasonable number for continuous writing in the time that I have available. I'm hoping to reach the point where I can easily write 1000 words a day.

I'm really enjoying my return to writing. Immersing myself in my stories feels like coming home. I didn't realize how much I'd missed these stories and writing until now.

I'm currently focusing on re-writing Hive Mind since it is the farthest along and it should be easier to gain some momentum on.  This first draft almost feels more like an outline to me.  I think this is probably a good sign of how much I've grown as a writer. Also, looking at my project list, I think I need to stop starting new projects. Of course, a couple of these are failed starts from NaNoWriMo since I started the full time day job. I'm definitely looking forward to working on and actually finishing these projects.

Statistics:
Words Written: 341
Scenes Outlined: 0

Works In Progress
Hive Mind (NaNoWriMo 2010) - Editing and Writing Second Draft

54324 / 90000

Thriller - Brainstorming and Outlining

0 / 50000

Outbreak (NaNoWriMo 2011) - Resting

54270 / 90000

Steampunk Seasonal Serial - Writing First Draft

15809 / 50000

A Guide to Inter-species Dating - Writing Rough Draft

1751 / 50000

Shattered Lives - Brainstorming and Outlining

181 / 50000

Greased Gears - Writing First Draft

9326 / 50000

Building a Bucket List #10-21

I'm bringing this feature back too because I think it is fun and I need a To Do List anyway.  This week's additions were inspired by my recent whirlwind trip through Yosemite, Lassen Volcanic NP, Lava Beds NM and Crater Lake NP.  I promise to have a little more variety in future list additions

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone - July 2015

10. Go Backpacking in Yellowstone National Park

11. Bicycle through Grand Tetons National Park

12. Go backpacking in Yosemite National Park

13. Hike to the peak of Mount Lassen

14. Go caving in the Lava Beds National Monument

15. Snowmobile at Crater Lake National Park

16. Visit Alcatraz Island National Park

17. Visit Channel Islands National Park

18. Visit Devils Postpile National Monument

19. Visit Joshua Tree National Park

20. Visit Muir Woods National Monument

21. Visit Pinnacles National Park

Weekly Weigh In Sept 7

It's been an interesting year and my progress with weight loss has been slow. However, I'm learned a lot about how my body reacts to food. I've done a few different elimination diets and discovered that my body doesn't handle Dairy very well.

I just got back from a week and a half vacation including lots of time driving and a fair amount of eating out.  I planned very carefully to allow enough movement to out weigh the hours of time in the car and it looks like my planning paid off since I lost weight while traveling.

I'm looking to get back to really focusing on getting healthy.  I have so many things that I want to do that require a level of fitness that I currently don't have. I'd like to lose weight but if all I accomplish is building the required strength, stamina and energy levels, I'll take it.

Taken at Glacier Point in Yosemite

Statistics:

Current Weight: 241.8 pounds

Starting Weight: 249.4 pounds
Highest Point: 249.4 pounds
Lowest Point: 238.4 pounds