Last Thursday marked the three thousand and something Thanksgiving since the time when the ancient Mayans put the holiday on the calendar. Interesting tidbit, American Pilgrims only started to observe the holiday, even though the Mayans knew it would be commemorated on Thursdays in November since 4000ish B.C. True story.
I enjoyed the Holiday, especially not having to work. I particularly like the fact that there is a day designated to express gratitude. On facebook, I noticed many people posting daily for the month of November on particular things for which they are thankful. November was/is also National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for the uninitiated). Both the daily thanks, and NaNoWriMo are things I was interested in participating in, but I kinda got a late start (it was like the 7th or 8th when I realized the whole “thankful for this today” thing). I want to write a novel, but I didn’t have the plot sketched out enough to get a good start, so either next year or before then I’ll have My Own Novel Writing Month (MyOwNoWriMo, for the fun of saying it).
Now I did decide to do something that will be fun and a little challenging for myself in order to stretch my writing muscles. Starting December 1st I am going to go through a list of My Favorite Things. To make it “difficult, the list is going to be alphabetical and posted daily through December (26 letters gives me 5 days of flexibility “just-in-case”).
Regarding comments, I have three simple requests or guidelines (not to be followed rigidly). First, comment on your attitude and feelings regarding my favorite things on that particular day. Second, if your favorite thing is different, keep it in the same category, i.e. if my favorite thing is an Apple, tell me your favorite Fruit, don’t do something like “Oh, you like apples, well I like doorknobs.” Third, if you think I should have used a letter differently, use things with the same letter, i.e. again if my favorite things is an Apple, but you like Antelope, use that. See, it’s easy, comment on my favorite thing, and/or tell about something with the same letter or that fits in the same category.
Hope we can all have fun learning about one another. Also, I reserve the right to interject subway stories or wacky incidents I encounter in the entertaining discourse that is my life.
Also, Happy Feast-on-Feather-Bird-Thursday-in-Late-November day as roughly translated from the Ancient Mayan Dialect.
I've attempted NaNoWriMo a few times already. It was always that last stretch after Thanksgiving that was difficult. Mainly finding time between working mandatory overtime in retail and sleeping.
ReplyDeleteSounds fun!
ReplyDeleteJames, you could probably do a pretty good novel. You should do a MyOwNoWriMo yourself. Totally understand the retail madness of this time of year, one needs a holiday from the holidays.
ReplyDeleteAnne, How far are you with yours? I liked the sampling you gave, hope you can make the goal, you are in the home stretch now.
Well, I am at the 20,000 word mark. Have really had a rough time with migraines this last month, so it slowed me down 'cause I couldn't write sometimes when I been planning on it. 30,000 words in two days is a bit too much to realistically hope for considering I still must work and sleep. =) But I will keep on writing it! I want to try to have it finished in time to enter it into a writing contest for Westbow (a self publishing division of Thomas Nelson) by Jan. 31st. Even that is super ambitious considering that the first 20,000 words are really just the intro chapters. The kids haven't even made it to camp yet! But ya gotta have a goal to shoot for right? I figure it's worth aiming for.
ReplyDeleteBrown paper packages covered in string; these are a few of my fav- *ahem*
ReplyDeleteSorry, your announcement got that stuck song in my head. Looking forward to the series.
Did the Mayan calendar even have Thursdays - or November?