Life – marginalia and such

lately, a list.

Writing a novella while querying the project I started writing in 2019.

Struggling with family stuff – health, mental wellness, housing insecurity, the whole she-bang. It’s been a lot.

Teetering on the edge of burnout at work.

Let’s not even talk of recent unexpected expenses.

Most of my recent reads are audiobooks. Maybe I’ll post about them, maybe I won’t. The most fun was the second series in Ilona Andrew’s Hidden Legacy series.

Started PT for my arm after two years of diagnosis guesswork. It seems to be helping. Still looking into other issues (like the weird pain I get in my jaw that goes beyond TMJ).

Sitting here, trying to figure out how I’m going to fix my mom’s latest disaster.

Still vlogging as an exercise in creativity and joy seeking.

the view from Sunday: 1.26.20

coffee, breakfast, time in the SO’s garden.

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video: chatty life update, seeking happiness, 2020 intentions

Where I’ve been, working on a new writing project, putting querying on hold to rewrite, my thoughts on book twitter and staying out of it, #projectpan love, future plans for this channel, and more as I try to catch up and re-invigorate.

What are you doing to seek happiness in 2020?

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life: 2020 intentions

2020-intentions

More tarot practice

More daily yoga

More walking in general

More adventuring and “flaneuring”

More cooking

More personal and professional development

More [herbal] tea

More joy

Less twitter

Less self-criticism

Less coffee

Less distraction

Less of the stuff that saps my energy

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life: October – month in review

month-in-review-january

Guys, I’m in a rut. Been feeling burned out and uninspired. I need to figure out some things and move forward, but it’s taken a toll on my creativity and mood.

A few good things to keep me grounded:

I received a new tarot deck, which was a lovely surprise.

I bought new shoes (They’re burgundy tieks and I filmed the unboxing).

I discovered Lune Innate‘s Reiki ASMR videos (these have been invaluable recently).

I upgraded my point-and-shoot situation for an upcoming adventure.

There were some lovely, spontaneous dates.

On the other hand…

My low-buy was a bust. With the holidays coming up, I need to remind myself to stick to my budget.

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life: August – month in review

month-in-review-january

Guys, it’s been a MONTH. And we’re only 9 days in. But first, a recap of August…

Made some progress on the rewrite. Not as much as I’d like, but maintained a relatively consistent schedule.

Read some good books. Didn’t finish others. (video on Friday!)

Booked a flight for a November trip to California (yay! Non-work related vacation!).

Started “running” again (running for me looks more like intervals than steady state runs).

The rest was kind of a blur. Too many migraines.

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life: June – month in review

june in review

It was a busy, productive month.

Sent out more queries.

Finished the read-through for my current WIP, which will see me through the next quarter.

Bought my first maxi dress, which makes me feel extra breezy and stylish (not something I thought possible because maxis always seem the purview of taller girls). Much needed for the hot, hot heat. (I may have settled on this particular brand because the name sounds like mine – Grecerelle)

Took a week-long break and ate a lot of cake and things to celebrate my birthday, including real dairy ice cream (with the help of Super Enzymes). My body did not hate me for it (although my joints are currently protesting and my eczema is flaring *sigh*).

But the pièce de résistance(!)

The boy surprised me with a penguin encounter for my birthday.

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5 things by 35

five things

I turn 35 this month. Here are 5 accomplishments I will reach/have reached by the day my birthday rolls around.

grow out my hair

I’m a short hair girl. I begged my mother to bob my hair when I was 6 and never looked back. I’ve had long hair exactly 2 times in my life: in 10th grade and again in my last two years of undergrad. Last year, I decided to let my hair grow until I turned 35—not that I’m cutting it any time soon, I just needed a goal to ease the itch… Friends, I did it. Even with the awful Florida heat.

dive into the query trenches

I’m not one of those writers who needs to be published by a certain age, but I cycle my projects around my birthday, and this year I really wanted to start querying, even if it comes to nothing. Experience is a win either way.

take control of my finances

I’ve posted a couple of videos on my budget lately. I don’t have any major debts and have the privilege of a steady job, but there’s always more work that can be done. This year, I committed to taking serious control of my finances and being a careful steward of my money, which means…

(re)start investing

I’ve saved enough money to start investing. I tried my hand at stock picking some years ago, but that’s definitely not the way to invest. I’ve been reading a lot of finance books for this very reason.

use up a tube of lipstick

Not so lofty as my other goals, but for the first time ever I am going to use up a tube of lipstick and it feels like the most epic of accomplishments.

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life: April – month in review

Month in review april

Met my Camp NaNo goal! 30k words = a solid start.

Tried my hand at 1st person POV and did not hate it.

Took a writing retreat (technically, still on a writing retreat).

Found myself an amazing vintage bag c. 1994 and am loving it. It’s classic, mahogany leather, and holds all the essentials.

Finally created my author website. It’s just a placeholder, but it’s a start – gdcowan.com

Set up a coffee budget and it’s been pretty life changing (video to come).

The Bag

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#secondhand find! I saw this bag on Pinterest and found it on eBay for $45 😍. It’s even prettier in person… also, vintage because it’s a collection from 1994. #shopsecondhand #coachbag

A post shared by e m i l i a g r a c e (@emilia____grace) on Apr 18, 2019 at 1:48pm PDT

loves & latest: March 11, 2019

monday musings

loves

reads

audiobooks in general

I used to hate the thought of someone reading to me (personal weirdness involving mouth sounds), then I discovered the magic of audiobooks and the talented people who narrate them. Audiobooks are making my commute 100% better, giving me 2 hours of “passive” reading a day, and allowing me to catch up on podcast assignments without worrying about adding another book to my reading list.

I download my audiobooks for free through my library’s Libby, Hoopla, and audiobook lending programs.

beauty

establishing a beauty budget

I recently come to terms with my beauty spending and realized that I am not an all-or-nothing person. I am project panning and looking to keep my spending to a minimum, but I don’t need to fall into total austerity. This is an area that revealed how far my Upholder tendency goes, as I found myself experiencing [unnecessarily] obsessive thoughts regarding my spending in this area. Setting a budget is the middle-ground for me.

general

writer youtube and blogs

As I prepare for a new writing project, I’ve been diving into the writer community, looking for inspiration, lessons, and new ways to approach my work. One of my recent favorites is Sarah Cannon’s Heart Breathings blog and channel – a great resource for anyone who wants to start work on a writing project.

I recently purchased her HB90 planner template (because she’s also a planner addict) and can’t wait to set it up for April (it’s a 3 month, 90 day planner).

latest

podcast

bluestocking-circle Listen to the latest episode of The Bluestocking Circle Podcast – Episode 19: Star Trek & Galaxy Quest… we have so many thoughts.

If you want to hear three lady nerds talk about their favorite books and movies, give us a listen on Podomatic, Apple Podcasts,Google Play, or Spotify. Also available on YouTube.