Digging

This is going to sound funny, but I sort of forgot the day, yesterday, so here I am, doing a post on Thurday to make up.

I mean, it just won't do to just keep skipping posts...

Pictures are still coming. I'll try to get them downloaded this weekend.

In the mean time, I thought I'd write about something that's been on my mind since Monday.

Al Diaz wrote this post about life and achieving goals.

He's so right. Setting goals is a wonderful tool, especially when you want to live your life to the full, but not when they blind you to the possibilities life offers.

As he said, we sometimes think we're against a wall. We make a plan to break through it, but when we do, we discover we're actually facing a mountain.

Most of us continue trying to break through as if it's still the wall we thought it was. Some of us aren't even digging through the right mountain.

It'll end up taking up so much time that you don't have time for anything else. To me, that's just not worth it, no matter how wonderful the goal may be.

So, if you're a goal-setter, remember to evaluate your plans for those goals every now and then. And remember to take a break from it every now and then. It's important to rest too.

Don't tell me you'll rest when you're dead. That'll just age you faster.

What about you? Have you ever come so very close to giving up, only to realize you've been going about something the wrong way?

Back from My Trip

Hi all!

I'm back from Europe. I really enjoyed the trip, even though it was a lot colder than expected. The sun barely shined the whole ten days that we were there.

Still, I find myself deeply in love with both France and the Netherlands. Both are so different from South Africa, but maybe that's exactly why I love those countries.

To the point where I was really sad to come back home.

Oh well.

Sometime this week, I'll be putting my pictures up for you guys to enjoy.

But for now, I'm going to say bye bye. Catching up with office work is more than a bit overwhelming.

See you on Wednesday!

Liebster Blog Awards

My blogs have been nominated for not one, not two, but three Liebster Awards. I feel so honored by this. Thank you very much for the support and appreciation. 

However, because sticking to the rules will make the post run on too much, I'm going to do it like this. 

I'm going to answer all of the questions, but they're going to double as the facts about myself as well. Besides that, I'm passing the award on to anyone who feels he or she deserves it. 

Okay. On with the question answering. 

Cherie Colyer asked these: 

1. What do you like best about blogging?

Making contact with the members of the blogging community. 

2. Mountains or ocean?

Mountains.
3. Favorite author?

Don't have one.
4. Are you an outliner or a panster?

Panster until the rewrite.
5. Where do you find your inspiration?

Everywhere. Really. Sometimes I dream my stories. Other times something as silly as a computer game can make something click.
6. What fictional world would you like to visit?

My own, but then I sort of do every time I write.
7. KFC or Popeye’s?

KFC. No Popeye's in my country.
8. Are there any books you won’t read?

Mmm... I never say never, but personal taste dictates that erotica is too far out of my comfort zone.
9. Name three people (living or dead) you’d like to meet?

Oscar Wilde

Ambrose Bierce

Mark Twain

Just imagine the dinner conversation. 
10. Do you have any advice for fellow bloggers?

Put your blog reader first. If you make it too difficult for them to visit and respond, they won't. Also, for the love of all that is holy. Turn off the automated music.
11. Is this your first Liebster award?

Nope. It's the first one in a while, though. 

Bradley asked me these: 

1. What’s the most annoying thing on your To Do List? Why haven’t you done it? 

Today will be waxing my armpits and legs. First time I've ever done it. Not looking forward to it. This blog will go live exactly when I go in. Pray for me. 

2. Who’s your best friend? (Submitted by my 7-year old who asks me this weekly–bonus: Who’s your best friend who’s not family?)

I have a couple of friends who qualify, but I think it's a tie between Theresa Jankowitz and Lauren Sykes. 
3. Where do you find inspiration for creativity? (A place, a person, an activity, etc.)

Continuing from a similar question above. Anywhere. My brain has a way of taking something interesting and running with it until it comes up with something new and really special. And usually seemingly unrelated. 
4. What single project or task would you consider the most significant accomplishment in your career so far? That will be sticking through the query process until I sold my book. 
5. What was the last thing you said out loud? (Thanks, Ida, I love this one.)

"Bye bye." I'm on the telephone a lot.
6. Who has been the biggest influence on your life? What lessons did that person teach you? 

God and myself. God for guiding me. Me for actually getting done what I was terrified of doing.
7. Your car just went off the cliff (sorry). You’re mid-air but you were visiting the Grand Canyon so you have a few extra seconds before it’s all over. Who did you wish you last kissed? What might you have said to them had you known about your unfortunate Cliff Diving While Driving experience? (tip: go say that to them today)

I'd like to think I have that covered already. Prefer to live my life as if any moment might be my last. 
8. What did you invent that you thought would be a great invention until you found out it was already done?

... Can't think of anything at the moment. Not the way my mind works, it seems. 

9. What’s your favorite sound? (For example, mine might be the sound of bicycle wheels on the pavement when there is no other sound.)

A beautiful, well-trained voice in a room with perfect acoustics. 
10. How would you like to be remembered?

As a person who lived life to the full.
11. What question above was your favorite?

Number 9, just thinking about it put me in my happy place. 

Finally, Neurotic Workaholic asked me these: 

1. What's your favorite cancelled television show?
Moonlight. Really didn't deserve to be cancelled after its first season.
2. Which show do you wish would get cancelled?

This will sound sad, but I don't watch enough T.V. to make that call... no wait. There is one. Toddlers and Tiaras. Freaks me the hell out every time I happen to see it. 
3. If you could meet any author, who would it be?

I named three in the first set of questions. 
4. If you could relive high school, would you?

Nope.
5. Why would you want/not want to relive high school?

Because school was all about wanting to grow up and achieve stuff. Right now is getting everything done, which makes me a happy camper. There's also the fact that I didn't really like 99% of my classmates, so getting shut in with them for hours isn't my type of fun.

6. If you could meet the characters of any book, which book would it be?

Aragorn from Lord of the Rings. He's awesome.
7. What do you like best about writing/blogging?

The blogging part I answered already, but I love writing because it's a positive way to deal with my emotions and I love escaping to other worlds. 
8. How would you like to spend your summer vacation?

Well... that's a long way off for me. My summer vacation is in December. So... Christmas and my birthday are highlights, although my birthday sort of sucks. It's on the 28th. Right after no one wants to party any more and right before everyone wants to party again. 

Got through them all? I'm impressed! Have a cookie. ;-)

Why don't you answer a few of these questions in the comments? 

This month on TCoML

Once again, we'll (sort of) be back to regular MWF posts, but only for this week. Next Monday, I'll be in Europe and will stay there until the 24th. Which means I'll  be on a blogging hiatus yet again during that time. 

This week, though, I'll be answering three sets of questions for Liebster awards I got in April and yesterday. 

On Friday, I'll hopefully have something helpful or encouraging to write about, since that's partially what this blog is about. 

Yeah... doesn't sound all that organized, does it? Oh well. It's the way I am. 

Anyone else fly by the seat of his or her pants when blogging?