Home » Page 76

Blogger-in-Training

In a few days, I am starting a new month-long blog challenge. I’m always excited to begin, and I have high hopes of reaching the ultimate goal – 31 posts in 31 days. Typically, I approach these challenges with very little planning. I write posts every day based on the same question everyone sees when they log on to Facebook – “what’s on your mind, Elisa?” This is usually all it takes for me to start putting words to paper. Some days, this approach works well. Other times, I crash and burn and find myself with nothing to write. Or worse, self-doubt and writer’s block kicks in and paralyzes me for days.

But this month is different. I am what you might call – a blogger-in-training, a B.I.T. for short. Yes, I’ve been a blogger for several years now, but sometimes I have to go back to the basics, break some bad habits, and create new ones.

Over the last six weeks, I have become a student of creative nonfiction and essays. I rejoined my writer’s group. I am getting up early and engaging in daily writing sprints, shitty first drafts with the potential to become blog posts someday. I’ve identified a spot in my house where I can write without a lot of distractions. I found an accountability buddy to share ideas with and keep each other motivated to reach our writing goals. I’ve even pre-planned a few posts (which is so unlike me).

And, I’ve made sure we have plenty of coffee in the house.

I still have a few more good writing habits to tackle like exercising, getting outdoors, finding ways to fill my well with stories and ideas away from the computer screen. This B.I.T. means business, though, and during this challenge, I’ll continue to push myself.

And, I hope you will come along for the ride by reading my posts, sharing them with others, commenting, and cheering me on.

Let’s do this!

 

Vaccine Day!

It has been quite a year, hasn’t it? I know because the Facebook memories that pop up for me lately are quite telling. In January, my entire family went to dinner to celebrate Jenna’s birthday. The following month, we did it all over again for mine. At the end of February, Scott and I had box seats at the Flyers game. We sat at center ice and marveled at how we could see all the action right in front of us as the wait staff served us beer and sandwiches. Basically, we enjoyed how the other half lives.

I’m pretty sure that was the night I got COVID. I still remember sitting elbow to elbow with fellow hockey fans. We screamed and shouted into the crowd at each goal and penalty. Exchanging high fives with strangers was the norm. We passed everyone’s food down the aisle and then passed cash back to the waitress. It was definitely not a social-distanced event (not that it would have been at that point).

At the beginning of March, I was sicker than I had been in my entire life. While I was never officially diagnosed with COVID-19 (because testing was not easily accessible early on), I had a nasty cough and congestion, awful headaches, no sense of taste or smell, and total exhaustion. I could barely speak on the phone with my family and friends because my voice was shot. I just slept and coughed and tried to do all the things that needed to get done. It took me three weeks to fully recover, and because I didn’t have shortness of breath or a high fever (thank goodness), this probably would be considered a mild case of the virus.

As the outside world shut down and the kids switched to online learning, and no one knew what to believe; I wrote this in one of my blog posts:

“It feels like a typical Saturday, but it is anything but typical. Right now, all I want to do is go out to dinner with friends. I don’t want to cook. I don’t want to clean up. I don’t want to order takeout. I want to sit in a restaurant, order a drink and catch up with people.”

Not much has changed. And little did I know that it would be a year before any of us would start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The vaccine is now available, and because I’m nowhere near my goal weight right now, I’m eligible. And after weeks of trying to get an appointment, I found out yesterday that it was my turn to receive the first dose.

I’ve never seen so many people happy to get a shot in the arm. It was easy to see the big smiles behind the face masks. People took selfies with the medical staff and in the observation room. There was finally some joy to be had by all.

Soon, we will all be able to hug our friends and family, eat out instead of takeout, go on vacation, and celebrate milestones in person. For the first time, my world felt a lot brighter.

 

A March Book Report

There is something about the cold weather, a hot beverage, a fleece blanket, and a comfy couch that puts me on a bit of a reading kick. Lately, I am devouring books like there is no tomorrow and have found some good ones to share with you.

The Midnight Library

by Matt Haig

I recommend this title to anyone who asks me what they should read next. The Midnight Library is about a woman who attempts suicide and winds up in a sort of purgatory where she confronts her regrets and tries out different lives. The purgatory is in the form of a library, and each book is a life she could have lived. In a Quantum Leap fashion (for those who remember the 80’s tv show), she jumps into these books to experience alternate lives and find out what would have happened if she chose differently. Should she have married her high school boyfriend? What if she stuck with swimming and became an Olympic champion? Would she have made it as a rock star?

I have often wondered what my life would look like if I became a full-time writer out of college. At the time, there weren’t a lot of options careerwise. Content marketing wasn’t a thing back then. Blogs were non-existent. My choices were newspaper reporter or best-selling author. But that isn’t the real reason I didn’t go that route. I thought if I couldn’t be the best at it right out of the gate, why bother doing it. I still struggle with this notion, but I realize it doesn’t matter as I grow older. Anything that brings me joy is worth pursuing.

Anyway, The Midnight Library was a terrific read. I listened to it on Audible, which I found to be quite enjoyable.

Young Jane Young

by Gabrielle Zevin

What a fun and interesting read! This is a novel about Aviva Grossman, a congressional intern, who is caught up in a sex scandal with her boss – the congressman. Sound familiar? The story focuses on how this relationship affected the lives of five women – the intern, her mother, her daughter, the congressman’s wife, and Jane – the person Aviva had to reinvent herself as to carve out a life of her own. While most people focus on the public figure involved in the scandal, this book shines a light on the lesser-known, easier to blame “other woman” in the story.

I was having dinner with an author and my boss at a riverfront restaurant in San Diego when I saw other patrons gather around a small television set hung up high over the bar. On the screen was then-President Bill Clinton at a press conference declaring that he “did not have sex with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky…” The scandal went from a local news story in D.C. to the national spotlight at a pace not normally seen at the time. From that point on, it was all the rage on every news channel – like the coronavirus is today. There was the “stand by your man” interview with Bill and Hillary, and then the Monica Lewinsky interview with Barbara Walters. We saw how things turned out for the Clintons and watched this young intern become a punchline. Years later, she has reclaimed herself in business as an activist, a public speaker (see her TED talk), and a fixture on Twitter (btw, her posts are brilliant).

I read Young Jane Young in two days. It’s a fast read and an interesting take on how these things take on a life of their own in the age of the Internet.

Kitchens of the Great Midwest

by J. Ryan Stradal

How does one become a celebrity chef? This novel took me into the life of Eva Thorvald, a chef known for her dining experiences that take place in spectacular locations with food and wine that is out of this world. It takes a lot of money to secure a coveted spot on her three-year waiting list. But her guests know that the opportunity is well worth their efforts. Eva’s life leading up to her success is a tale of resilience in the face of heartbreaking moments. I don’t want to give you any spoilers, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book by an author who is new to me.

Cooking well is something I struggle with on a fairly regular basis. I am constantly thrown by the age-old question of “what’s for dinner?” I have a shortlist of dishes I make that my family enjoys, but I wish I were more adventurous when it comes to my culinary abilities. Being a good cook includes a recipe of self-confidence, creativity, and the knowledge of what foods go together well. I have two out of three, but that last ingredient trips me up every time.

I listened to this book on Audible. The chapters are few but about an hour long. The story is about a kind of life and way of thinking that has always been a bit foreign to me. Whether you consider yourself the celebrity chef of your family or if only known for your awesome spinach dip, but enjoy a good meal – like me – this is a good book to check out.

If you have read up to this point (thank you), please leave a comment and let me know if you like this idea for a blog post, and I’ll try to do more of them. Reading is clearly a passion of mine, and I’m happy to pass along titles I’ve enjoyed. And if you have read any of these titles, I’d love to discuss them with you.

1 … 74 75 76 77 78 … 160