Holiday Countdown

NaNo Word count: 30,622/50,000

Some days are full of surprises.

Today wasn't really one of them, but I felt like saying that! It was a pretty bog standard day, actually; it being so close to the holiday, I saw attendance in my classes take a serious dip. One of my classes only had one student in it! She and I sat and talked about her paper (we're writing about literature and the arts right now), about Shakespeare in general, and then about life. I am consistently honored and humbled by the way some of my students open up to me personally. It makes me feel as though I'm a part of their lives in a way that's more meaningful than simply teaching them proper grammar and how to write a strong thesis statement. It's what makes my job worthwhile.

Speaking of my job, tomorrow is my 90-day evaluation. Hopefully this goes well! I have no reason to think it won't, but you know how it is....evaluation. There's just no way to make that sound good!

FAMILY
On the family front, my grandma had a pacemaker installed (is that the right word? installed?) last week. They nicked one of her lungs, which is apparently a common error in this type of surgery, but she self-healed and appears fine. Better than fine, actually. Her circulation appears to have improved, and she says she feels more energetic. At the very least, we're hoping she won't be having the falls she was having before. She's back in her assisted living home and getting some PT during recovery. Mom said that she (my grandma) even got out her crochet needle and started crocheting! This is something she hasn't done in years--not since my grandfather died in 2004. I'm really glad she's doing it, because, well, she's famous for her baby booties, and I want to make sure I have a pair for when we start having kids!

I still think it's miraculous what the human body can do. A year ago, she had a massive stroke--the kind that can shut people down for good. And now, here she is, crocheting! And happier than ever.

POETRY
For those of you who keep up with such things, my review of Patrick Rosal's My American Kundiman has appeared in Alehouse this month. So far, still no responses on any of my submissions from the spring, summer, and obviously not fall. I'm getting a little antsy! But I keep rollin'; I have my submission schedule to keep, and I'm constantly adding to it.

I've been really trying to focus on revision (around my NaNo exploits, of course)--I have a good deal of new material that can and should be edited. Much love to my friend Michael, who's volunteered to read my stuff and give me the real truth. *sheepish grin*

NaNoWriMo, Memories, etc.

For those of you who are unaware, November is so much more of a month than the mark of radio stations playing premature Christmas music and the beginning of the mad holiday dash to see as many relatives possible in 30 days. It's also an institution to those of us who enjoy writing (and don't necessarily pride ourselves on being particularly good at it): National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. Anyone feeling gutsy can attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November--that's about 1,667 words on average per day for 30 days. It is supposed to be an original work, not something you started long ago (although you are allowed to do some pre-November planning, outlining and such, but no actual writing).

I have tried, and failed, to complete this challenge since 2004. The timing is never good, it seems; in the fall of 2004, I was applying for and deciding on graduate schools. In 2005, I was in graduate school; and worst of all, in 2006, I was finishing up my manuscript for said graduate school. Any way you sliced it, I just didn't have time to dedicate to fiction. This year, I wouldn't say I necessarily had more time than any other year previously; I just feel more up to it. And so far, I've kept up remarkably well. I'll be posting my word count on here as I blog, so you can keep up. And it's never too late to try! Sign up anytime you want. My friend Beth signed up mid-month in 2004, and has kicked my butt every year!

FAMILY
My grandmother is currently in the hospital, and probably got a pacemaker installed today (I'll get the whole scoop later tonight when I call home). She was having multiple falls at her assisted living home--4 falls in 8 days--and the only way they can account for them is that her heart rate sometimes drops inexplicably low. While installing a pacemaker is risky for anyone, especially someone her age, it makes sense to be as proactive as possible. If she keeps falling, she could eventually really hurt herself, or else become afraid to walk and take to a wheelchair before her time. Either way, we don't want to impair the quality of her life by not taking all the possible steps to ensure it.

TEACHING
This bit really doesn't have much to do with teaching, per se, but I did run into a former student today when I was at the Fulton St. location. I'd finished with my class and was out the door when I saw her in the hall. This young woman has a special place in my heart; she confided some very personal information to me last spring and I was so honored that she did (it also explained a lot about why she was struggling in my class when she so obviously shouldn't have been). I helped her as much as I could, and she showed me today that she has this little green token that is given out when one reaches 3 months of straight sobriety. I cheered aloud! She is such a precious person, so smart and so nice, that she deserves not to have to lose a battle to alcoholism so young. I have written a poem about her, although it's not finished yet; when it is, I'll put it up here. I'm just so proud of her for taking control of her life. And I'm glad I could be there for her at a difficult time of realization and taking steps to get help.

Nanowrimo word count: 17,047/50,000