1/30: Structure

[darkemeralds]

The one-year mark in the don't-work-no-more phase of my career has come and gone, and I find that I want some structure back in my life. I feel ready to emerge from my cave a little and reconnect, too.

So maybe I can do a post a day for a month.

Boy, am I rusty. Whew. Let's see... [self-censor kicks into high gear: "No, that's unoriginal. No, that would be whiny. No, that sounds like a commercial..."]



Unoriginal: Graydie says "Must you?" while trying to continue her 20-hour nap on the abandoned chair with the heating pad inside it, on my porch.



Whiny: Lacking the commute to work that used to provide me with an hour's good exercise a day (and having all this free time to practice my hobby of eating), I've regained a portion of the weight I lost. I'm having a hell of a time finding a new, life-relevant way of losing it again. I might not care at all, except that I don't want to buy a bunch of new clothes. Because of said weight gain, my retirement wardrobe has consisted of two pairs of black jeans, one pair of Dansko shoes, and ten hoodies, and I miss dressing a little nicer.

Commercial: I've been watching and loving Last Tango in Halifax. If you don't know it, it's a British family comedy-drama written and produced by women, and centered very much on women characters. The scripts are exquisite and the acting positively sublime, and although I generally shy away from realistic family dramas, I'm loving this one.

The first two series are streaming on Netflix, and the third is just finishing up on UK television next week and might pop up in some of the usual places. Highly recommended.

Comments

[executrix]

I used to be a huge spoiler whore but now I find reading reviews saying "And in that episode Character X does That Thing" tends to reduce my enjoyment because I find myself saying "But that's stupid! If X does that, X is a ninny!" whereas I might have enjoyed the episode unspoiled.

I suppose it all works out, for several months a year I'm working seven pretty long days a week, and I'd *never* get finished if I had to spend five hours at Book Sale every Sunday. Also, now that I don't get free books anymore...several flat surfaces do not have heaps of books!

[darkemeralds]

Yeah, I've found that even slight spoilers tend to ruin my enjoyment of a piece more often than they whet my appetite. Though I'll say this: fannish spoilers of the sort that fly by on Twitter on show night can actually help me appreciate little nuances that I might not otherwise notice when it comes time for me to watch the show on the west coast.

Forgive my being so out of touch with my journal reading: is seven long days a week your normal work schedule, or are you on a special project?

[executrix]

I have to re-write two books each year, so the last six weeks or so before submitting each ms. gets pretty hectic, and then when the files come back for proofreading and review I have to rewrite them *again* but on a shorter schedule (although with fewer developments to incorporate).